Last season was one to forget for Temple Women’s Soccer.
The Owls went just 2-13-3 and ended the season on an eight-game losing streak, failing to record a single goal in that span. The team fired head coach Nick Bochette, and replaced him with Chris Shaw in the offseason, hoping to spark life into a program that won just eight games in the last three seasons.
Midfielder Fiona Killian and defenders Natalie DeMasi and Phoebe Hollin are key players returning to try and lead the team’s turnaround. The teammates decided to prepare for the upcoming season by participating in the United Soccer League Women’s League this summer, a pre-professional soccer league for the USL.
Hollin and Killian have participated in the USL W League since they were freshmen, and DeMasi found her way to the league through Killian. The pair played for the Long Island Rough Riders, while Hollin competed with Eagle FC, the second club she joined in the league after playing with Asheville City last summer.
The USL W League allowed Killian, DeMasi and Hollin to expose themselves to higher competition and grow as players before heading into the collegiate season next month. The competition they faced ranged from girls as young as 16 to players in their 30s with extensive professional experience. They were also able to compete with other college players from top conferences.
“Even in our practices, we were getting significantly better because of the high level of players we were training with,” Killian said. “They pushed us to be better and our games were just as competitive because of how good the other teams were.”
Killian, DeMasi and Hollin played consistently with their respective clubs and performed at a high level against elite competition. Hollin started 11 of 12 games, scoring one goal and four assists. DeMasi started seven games for the Rough Riders and Killian started eight, putting home five goals.
“Overall, Phoebe was a tremendous leader and a great presence in the locker room for us,” said Eagle FC head coach Toan Ngo. “She always made sure that we were up and ready for an upcoming match.”
In the USL W League players didn’t have a set schedule for practices and games like they usually would at Temple, which provided the trio with a new sense of responsibility because they needed to make it to all the practices and games. There was not a lot of practicing techniques and specific skills, but more 11v11 practices due to the large rosters.
Playing against top competition and going through a different training regime has helped the Owls’ trio prepare for their upcoming Temple season — the last for graduating seniors DeMasi and Hollin. The trio was able to grow as players both on the field and off the field.
Finding success against collegiate players from some of the top conferences instilled a new confidence in Killian, DeMasi and Hollin. The trio will head into the new season on a high note and hope to hit the ground running with early wins once the season kicks off — something the team hasn’t been able to do in recent years.
“I previously struggled with confidence a lot,” DeMasi said. “Being surrounded by girls who I know are really good and come from really high divisions of soccer and having a coach who believes in me has helped my confidence as well.”
Killian, DeMasi and Hollin all won a lot of games during the summer — something they haven’t done at Temple so far. Both Eagle FC and the Rough Riders made the playoffs, with the Rough Riders taking down Eagle FC in the semi-finals. After a summer full of victories, the Owls hope to carry the confidence and discipline they learned into the fall and help their college teammates find that same success.
“Lately, our team has become so used to not being a top competitor in our conference,” DeMasi said. “Playing in a league this summer where our team was thought of as a really good team really makes me want to do well in our conference.”
Playing in the USL W League doesn’t just prepare the trio for their collegiate season, but for after college too. Being a pre-professional league, the USL W League provides a direct opportunity to compete at a professional level.
While Killian is still a junior and has two years of eligibility left, Hollin and DeMasi are entering their final season in the Cherry and White. They are hoping to use the experience and connections they got from the USL W League to continue their careers after college.
“The USL W League does a great job at exposing players to coaches in other professional leagues,” Hollin said. “Playing for Eagle FC this summer has really set me up for success and it will be a lot easier now for me to progress professionally.”
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