Former SLO High soccer star headed to NCAA tourney — and loving every minute of it
Molly Massman was the most valuable player of her 2019 San Luis Obispo High soccer team — and now she’s preparing for the biggest game of her career at the next level.
The 5-foot-10 sophomore midfielder and the rest of her University of Montana squad face University of South Carolina at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the prestigious NCAA Women’s Soccer tournament in North Carolina.
The Grizzlies, also known by locals as the Griz, are 9-1 this coronavirus pandemic-shortened season. Massman has played a key role on the team as a bench player, averaging about 36 minutes per game during the team’s 90-minute matches.
Montana won the Big Sky Conference this year, with a -2-1 overtime victory on April 15 in the title match against Northern Colorado.
Massman played just six minutes in overtime, the least amount of any of the team’s 17 players, but her coach credited her for making a major impact.
“Molly came in and just dominated the midfield,” coach Chris Citowicki said. “That led to the breakdowns that led to the goal. She got into the game and got it done for us.”
Soccer player transitions from SLO to Montana
Massman said that her experiences with San Luis Obispo High School and club teams prepared her well for college ball. She played with Arroyo Grande’s Madrid Premier Soccer Club.
College coaches regular saw her club matches, and Massman and her family put together highlights and a recruiting profile on the website Next Student College Athlete.
One of the colleges Massman and her family reached out to was Montana. There, coaches invited her for a campus visit.
“I toured the campus and got to know the program and two weeks later I committed,” said Massman, who received a partial scholarship to Montana.
After moving to Big Sky Country, Massman said she had to adjust to a faster level of play among highly competitive athletes, but it’s an environment she welcomes.
She noted that outdoor Montana soccer games can be bitterly cold. On some days, she and her teammates play in the snow, which she described as “fun and different.”
“If you don’t pick it up quick enough, you might get left behind,” Massman said. “You have a good environment in that sense right away and it motivates you to do well.”
Massman, a health and human performance major, said she went from being a starter and focal point at San Luis Obispo High to a new role off the bench as a defensive, “holding” midfielder.
“I’ll come in and offer that burst of energy,” Massman said. “As a bigger statured player, I use my size and strength to come in and really try to get to balls and set up plays when the other team is tired.”
Massman said her goal is to get more playing time over the next couple of years of college soccer. She has three years of eligibility left due to COVID-19-related rules allowing players the possibility of playing an extra season.
Team playing in NCAA women’s soccer tournament
Being at the NCAA tournament is thrilling, Massman said.
“I’m super-excited and the team has prepared really well,” she said. “We’re testing ourselves against a good team in South Carolina and competition outside the Big Sky.”
Massman said it’s nice to be experiencing warmer weather and she knows she’ll have a burst of energy when she sets foot on the field.
“It’ll be a rush of adrenaline,” she said. “We’ll be in a mindset to go out and play at a really high level.”
To watch the game via livestream video, go to gogriz.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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