Scoring Goals Like It's Nadya's Business
9/13/2017 10:59:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nadya Gill is a multidimensional student-athlete and knows what she wants, something that was apparent when the Toronto, Ontario native stepped foot on campus as a 16-year-old freshman.
Big-picture thinking is a familiar concept for the junior forward, who, at 18, will be graduating from Quinnipiac University in December.
"I've said this since freshman year, 'but age is just a number. I came in just like everyone else came in with the same expectations, the same background; we're all doing the same thing,'" Gill said about her age. "I don't think about my age or how it impacts me, I think of myself as a third year player."
Over the past two summers and her four semesters at Quinnipiac, Gill has meticulously crafted her class schedule, using every bit of her time on campus in the summer to take classes and continue her degree so she can focus on her ultimate goal: playing professional soccer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
"Honestly, I have a couple routes I could take, but I'd really like to get drafted so this year is pretty important for me," Gill said.
Gill has spent the first part of the young semester completely devoted to her soccer game. Whether it is getting to the brand-new turf complex early for extra shots or watching film, she has become relentless in her pursuit of playing at the highest level.
"I've been watching game film, preparing, listening to the coaches, looking at other teams' stats, but at the same time trying not to overthink it and let it get to me," Gill said. "You can't be thinking too much when you're on the field, so I'm just trying to enjoy myself more than anything."
This past summer, Gill played for the Boston Breakers College Academy, a team in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
"I trained with the reserves for a little while and watched some of the first team's practices, so I'm familiar with the coaching staff and their system," she said.
Gill shined with the Breakers, totaling 24 points (11 goals, two assists) in eight games. She went on to grab a spot in the Top 10 Leaders in the WPSL. She was also named one of 10 "Players To Watch" by the New England Soccer Journal.
Stepping on the turf this fall, Gill has not missed a beat. The striker has netted five goals and two assists to total 12 points in just the first six games for the Bobcats and currently leads the MAAC in goals and points.
Despite tallying her second two-goal game of the season, Gill and her team were unable to defeat Dartmouth on Sunday, walking away with a 4-2 loss.
On Wednesday, the Bobcats will face another Ivy League foe for a second-consecutive road game, a team equipped with three players that were once Gill's teammates on the Breakers: Harvard University.
On the Breakers, Gill played alongside Harvard players Marie Becker, Niki Young and Danielle Etzel. A competitive player who thrives under pressure, Gill said that playing against former teammates will not be a distraction.
"It's a little bit of an advantage because I know how they play and their tendencies and all of that," she added. "But other than the fact that I know them, it's not much of a difference than any other team."
The Crimson are currently 4-2 and 2-0 at home, creating a strong challenge for the Bobcats, something Gill isn't shying away from.
"Personally I think it's a really big game for us, especially with the regional rankings and all," Gill said, "It'll be good to see where we stand going into the MAAC."
One of the biggest tests Gill and the Bobcats will face is Harvard's junior goaltender Danielle Etzel, who has started her 2017 season strong for the Crimson.
Etzel has combined with Kat Hess to have four shutouts in the first six games of the season for Harvard. Etzel has obtained a .941 save percentage, good for the tenth best save percentage in the country.
Quinnipiac women's soccer head coach, Dave Clarke said that the main focus on Wednesday is to create chances and to score goals. However, Clarke believes playing tougher teams set the Bobcats up for excelling once MAAC play begins.
"Yes, we lost against Dartmouth and Miami, but we created chances and we scored goals against two high level teams. So if we play the same way against Harvard, hopefully that transfers into the MAAC."
Quinnipiac will have its final tuneup against Harvard on Wednesday, September 13 at 4:00 PM before starting MAAC play this Saturday at Saint Peter's. The game can be seen by Bobcat Nation on NESN.
For Gill, it's all about making sure the team is ready to go come Wednesday.
"We've reviewed our past mistakes, we know our tendencies, we know what we need to improve on. We know how we have been playing and how we should play, so it's going to be a 'make sure we show up' kind of game," Gill said.
"We've looked over our mistakes but we're not dwelling on anything. We just want to go out and put on the best performance that we can."
