MARCELLO MONDAY: A FINAL FAREWELL

BOSTON, Mass. - Being a part of the Emmanuel College Women's Soccer program has truly been a journey of a lifetime.

Since freshman year, this program has shaped me from a young 18-year-old trying to find her place, to a confident 21-year-old senior with many goals accomplished and more to be made. As a member of the soccer team, I learned the true meaning of hard work through conditioning practices. Keep pushing yourself, no matter how tough the battle may seem. In life there will be difficult moments, keep persevering.

This also helped me to learn how to handle frustration and the mental anguish of attempting to recover from an injury. No, I could not be on the field playing this year, but still being a part of the team was the best athletic decision I have made. Although I wasn't able to grow as an athlete, I was able to grow as a person through training the goalies and assisting coaches Wayne Currie and Keith Rogers.

I learned how to be the best teammate I could be through the love of the game and for the love of the team. Teamwork is the most important value. Once you have accomplished working together and succeeding as a team, I confidently believe that you have captured the essence of the game. It was a privilege to be a student-athlete at Emmanuel College, and is something that I will forever miss.

My team, my coaches, and my whole college athletic experience have shaped me into the person that I am today. I am so proud of how my team played throughout the season. There were losses and there were victory celebrations, but through the entire season, there was heart and passion. One of the most magical experiences to watch was the growth in team unity. As a squad of over 30 girls, it started out as a struggle getting to know everyone and their playing style. However, on and off the field, we bonded throughout the season, getting to know one another and utilizing each other's individual talents. This proved to be incredibly valuable as we got better and better, winning more and more games.

There were team heroes like Tori LaRoche, Ari Cardillo, and Maggie Carey. There were team role models like Ashley Frank, Jess DaSilva, and Maddie Barry. There were leading veterans and leading rookies. We were a team. We are and forever will be the 2015 Emmanuel College's Women's Soccer team. 

Saturday's Championship loss was a tough one to swallow. Penalty kicks are essentially a coin flip. But being supported by a strong fan base was a sight to see and one that we are all thankful for. Seeing that many students come out to the game at Lasell meant a lot to the players and coaches. It motivated us to see that number of people cheering us on. Thank you to all of those who came out!

Before the game on Saturday, I wrote a pump up speech to the girls. Below is the copy that I had wrote, but I just wanted all readers to know that each and every one of the players exemplified what was mentioned in the speech during Saturday's game. I am so very proud of this team and wouldn't want to end my career with anyone else. Thank you to everyone involved in this incredible program! This is my final farewell.

"To my fellow athletes, teammates, and friends,

I ask when you walk on that field today, appreciate the beauty of the game,  the smell of the grass, the feeling after making the perfect pass, the excitement of scoring a goal, the confidence of an athlete.

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: "Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."

Trust. I ask you to trust one another, and most importantly trust yourself. We are here for a reason. We deserve to be here, 30 something strong we stand united because of trust. Look deep within yourself and embrace that passion. Look at one another right now and say: "I trust my teammate."

American author and educator Stephen Convey once said: "Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."

"I trust my teammates."

Attitude. Your attitude out on that field today will and in fact does, depict your true character. Your attitude illustrates yourself as a player. I ask for nothing but positivity from each and every one of you. I want you to get angry, get pumped, be aggressive! But do it with class my friends, because that is something we have that our opponents have proven to lack. We have class. We have a better attitude. We will be the better team out there today.

My friends, my teammates, my fellow athletes, today is going to be so much fun. You feel that beating in your chest?  There is something magical about that. You know why? Turn and look. Every single person on this bus has that same feeling in their chest. Our hearts are beating in sync.

You know what else beats in sync? –Emmanuel College's women's soccer team.

Because today in sync we will beat Lasell on their own field! Because of confidence, because of trust, because of attitude, and because of our beating hearts!

Take a breath ladies, this is the best part about the game".

- JM