John Orrell
Special to The Landmark USA TODAY NETWORK
HOLDEN — They play with heart, unbridled enthusiasm and tenacity that make them inspiring and a pleasure to watch. It doesn’t take long to comprehend that a new day is dawning for this squad with a new and energetic head coach at the helm leading the way.
They are the Wachusett Regional High girls’ varsity soccer team, and leading them as head coach is 2016 WRHS alumna Emma Mailman, who is back to restore a winning culture that has been absent since back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018.
Mailman has already won the confidence of her players in the early stages of the season with team unity front and center.
“I think the number one thing we learned tonight is that this team has heart,” said Mailman after a fierce battle at Hal Lane Field won by Westborough High,1-0, on Sept. 8. “The past couple of years have been tough between COVID and new coaching staff. There’s been a lot of adjustments. All I asked from the girls tonight was an undeniable effort. No one can deny them putting in 100% effort every play, every minute, and I believe that’s what they did tonight, especially in the last 15 minutes. I’m incredibly proud of them.
“We need to continue to focus on the basics. It’s really organizing our defensive shape in the middle. I’ve switched the formation that they’re used to, and they’re seeing something new. It’s just game by game. We have to grow and develop together. Our defensive shape and some communication is what we have to work on a little bit. If we focus on too big of a picture, we’re not going to be able to grow.
“(Coaching) has always been my dream since I left here, and I’ve always said that I wanted to come back and have an effect on this team. I didn’t know what role exactly, but I’m so incredibly grateful to be in this role right now”.
Since graduating from WRHS, Mailman has attended Assumption University where she played on the school’s soccer team and earned her master’s in business in 2021. She is presently an assistant soccer coach at Assumption.
Wachusett teammates Jesse Ayers, Madison Grignon and Renee Rettig all weigh in on the specialness of learning from Mailman and the way she conducts things on and off the field.
“I love Emma. I’ve always looked up to her at the college level, especially,” said Rettig, the team’s starting goalkeeper. “We all look up to her and really take her words to heart. We can use tonight as motivation for the rest of the season. We have a lot of games ahead of us, and we’ll see Westborough again.
“We have really good chemistry. A lot of us have played together for a number of years. We all get along really well, and I think it shows on the field.’ “I’m new to the District and I love Emma so much,’ said Ayers. ‘She makes us laugh but also pushes us hard at practice, and she connects with us so well.”
“She’s such a mentor and inspires us so much. She played in college, she played here and has done all the things we want to do,” Grignon added. “Her words and her wisdom, we all take to heart.
“We have to keep working our hardest in games and practice. We have to show up at practice with game intensity. We’re looking forward to the competition we’ll face this year.”
When asked what she likes most from what she has seen in these early stages of the season, Mailman pauses and is thoughtful in her response.
“The thing I like the most about this team is that even in tough situations, my team walks off the field together with their heads held high, picking each other up. Being in this program myself, I know how intense it can be. It’s the amount of pride that these girls have in each other.”
Members of the 2022 Wachusett Regional High girls’ varsity soccer team are Renee Rettig, Emma George, Kaitlyn Johnson, Wikitoria Ucher, Charlotte Brisbois, Ashley Slavin, Katlyn Perna, Kate Larose, Jesse Ayers, Madison Grignon, Brenna Patenaude, Alyssa Senecal, Aila Head, Syd Line, Kassidy Mcghee, Ava Giorgi, Rahma Giwa, Ashlyn Panerello, Molly Kelley, Jillian Beando, Ava Warner, and Abby Lei. Captains are Madison Grignon, Renee Rettig and Wikitoria Ucher. The team is led by firstyear head coach Emma Mailman, assisted by Nikki Dipilla. The team manager is Isabella Grady.
