“From the first time I made a big save in a game, I knew that I was never going back to a forward [position],” said Maura Moloney, an NWA sophomore and avid soccer player. “I control the pitch. I control the score. I control myself. Every time I feel the ball in my hands, I know that it’s mine and no one is going to f***ing take it from me.”
Moloney’s fierce dedication to her sport has earned her a position as goalie on the Portland City United (PCU) team, who she has played for since second grade. For Moloney, soccer is therapeutic.
“My life has felt out of control at times and I have not always been treated the best but out on the field, I’m in charge,” she said.
Moloney uses soccer as an outlet for negative emotions, as well as to relieve stress. After playing all year round and for so long, she said it feels like a part of her.
“Every athlete that truly loves what they do knows that feeling where the rest of the world fades away,” says Moloney, “nothing else matters, not what people say, what they think, the pressures out on you, everything is just gone. All that is in your head is the echoing of your heartbeat.”
But it hasn’t just helped her mentally. She believes that the sport has challenged her physically, and helped prove herself and her capabilities.
“It’s a way for you to push your body past its break[ing] point, to test what you can really accomplish. It’s a way to prove to yourself and others what you’re capable of,” Moloney said.
Soccer is a difficult sport, but Moloney finds it empowering. “When we have conditioning or a hard practice and I’m tired and my body hurts, I push myself to go on,” she says, “because I’m not going to let a stupid opinion stop me from being better than every person who has thought they can hurt me.”
Soccer has helped Moloney gain confidence in her abilities and silence the critical voices of others. Even in the face of adversity and discouragement, the sport has been a constant and positive presence in her life.
Additional reporting by Caroline Barr
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