Being away from home is tough for anyone in college, but it’s especially difficult for athletes.
With the time commitment that athletes make they often do not have the option to go home for a weekend, especially when home is over eight hours away.
A trio of Bobcats knows this feeling too well, as senior midfielder Maggie Murnane hails from Libertyville, Ill., junior goalkeeper Nicole Amari and redshirt freshman Carly Manso are Vernon Hills, Ill. natives.
Their suburban Chicago roots bond the trio, which will return home this weekend to play Northern Illinois and eat a little home cooking, too.
“I’m super excited we get to go to Mag’s house for dinner,” Manso said. “I know my grandma is going to be there and help make some food and stuff. So, it will be good to see everyone and have a nice home cooked meal and then be able to play in front of our family and fellow friends.”
All three played at the prestigious Eclipse Select Soccer Club, which has won more than 10 national championships. The trio formed a bond with the Eclipse and despite being on different teams within the program, they each gained respect for each other’s game.
Without this connection the three Bobcats would not be calling Athens home, as Murnane and Manso transferred in after starting their collegiate careers at Dayton and Colorado, respectively.
“When I was deciding on going to schools I think it was either between here and Loyola,” Murnane said. “Nicole (Amari) came up to me and told me that 10 seniors were leaving and told me that she would love to have me. I asked Nicole all these questions and I knew that I would be safe with having another Eclipse person there. Knowing that the way she sees soccer I see soccer the same way, the same disciplines, the same motivations.”
This triad has made a significant impact on the Ohio soccer team this season. Manso is tied for the Mid-American Conference lead in assists with six, as she paces coach Aaron Rodgers’ offense.
Murnane has also made her mark on the program by scoring five goals and assisting on four others during her two-year career with the Bobcats, while Amari has provided a viable second option in goal behind senior Mattie Liston, as she has played 558 minutes in between the pipes during her three years.
“Maggie has provided such a great leadership, a good mentality and a spark to our team,” Rodgers said. “Carly has come in and just fit right. She’s provided some great attacking strength to our team. Amari is a fantastic goalkeeper who has worked super hard and has a great relationship with Mattie and Rachel Fryan, and they all push each other.”
These girls have opened the door for not only other Eclipse players to come to Ohio, but also others from the Chicagoland area, which is a resource that the Bobcats will look to use to continue to bring better competition for years to come.
“Chicago in general has a fantastic talent pool of players,” Rodgers said. “There’s so many different clubs in the metro-Chicago area that create good, talented players. Northern Illinois is in our conference so our conference has some familiarity to those people in Chicago and the proximity is fairly close so it makes sense for us to recruit out of Chicago.”
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