Maci Tew relishing opportunity as a freshman with Pitt women’s soccer

Photo: Univ. of Pittsburgh Athletics

Maci Tew didn’t wait long to ‘shoot her shot’ for Pitt women’s soccer.

Tew has been relishing in a starting role — and showing the Pitt coaching staff exactly why they made the right decision putting her in the XI. However, no moment showed that more than her first-ever collegiate goal.

Tew is in a rare group of company. She can say that, for her first collegiate goal, she scored an ‘Olympico.’

An Olympico is a goal scored from a corner kick, by the player taking the corner kick. After a few moments of confusion — and, admittedly, as the color analyst on the broadcast, I thought it went off the head of Katie Zailski — the goal was confirmed to be Tew’s tally.

“It’s amazing honestly,” Tew told Pittsburgh Soccer Now after the team’s draw against Texas at home. “I didn’t even realize that it went in, because they didn’t call it immediately. I was just standing there and waiting. When they said it was my goal, I got really excited.”

Tew, along with goalkeeper Elli Johnson, have made four starts in four games as freshmen for the Pitt Panthers. This is a group that Ben Waldrum, Panthers head coach, was extremely excited about, even noting its excellence last year. Tew is showing why she was one of the top recruits to come out of Columbus, Ohio.

“It means a lot to make an impact on the field, especially as a freshman,” she said. “We have some great upperclassmen leaders that have made it really easy to just step on the field and work with… We have a good group, which allows us to bring in younger players, as well, and mix them in more.”

Ben Waldrum called his midfielder “fantastic.”

“She gives you composure on there that we were missing a little bit,” Waldrum said, after the Texas match. “You’ll see her in a couple different midfield spots. That versatility helps us.”

Freshmen galore!

Tew and Johnson may be earning starting spots as freshmen but many other classmates are earning quality minutes.

So far in their collegiate careers, Desiree Reed has earned 163 minutes, Tayln Guthrie has starred for 125 minutes and, just recently on the Panthers road trip to California, Weslee IstoneHaupt, Eden Jones and Blakeley Soderman all made their Panther debuts.

“Everyone is so skillful,” Tew said. “It’s awesome at practices because we’re all pushing each other and really challenging each other to be our best — on and off the field. We’re a really close-knit group. It’s a battle every day in training, but we’re all very close. It’s just a great environment to be in.”

Tew said that every day spots are up for grabs — and nothing is guaranteed for any starter.

“If you get the spot, then that’s great. But if you don’t, then you’re encouraging your teammates,” she said. “You just want everyone to do their best. It created a challenging environment for everyone to be at their best. You’re always pushing to earn your spot.”

The training environment was a deciding factor when coming to Pitt, but Tew also is enjoying the community with the team. She specifically stated that upperclassmen have been “so welcoming” to the new group of 10 freshmen and three transfers.

“It’s been really easy acclimating,” she said. “The upperclassmen are really welcoming and the coaches are great. You can go in and meet with them one-on-one to get advice, break down film. We’re just always together, so it really does feel like a family. Once I stepped foot on campus, I immediately knew that this is where I wanted to be.”

Back to Ambrose

The Panthers currently sit at a 2-1-1 record, with a win at home against Youngstown State and another on the road against LMU. Both matches finished 2-1. The team also picked up a tie on the road against Santa Clara. Now, they return home to face a Liberty team with the same record. Tonight’s match is at home, and will kick off at 7 p.m.

Then, it’s another road trip, with stops at Cornell (August 30) and Ohio (Sept. 3). One more home match against Dayton (Sept. 6) is on the docket before ACC play begins against Louisville on Sept. 12, in Kentucky. Then, it’s full-speed ahead in the ACC.

“I wanted to play in the ACC,” Tew stated. “I felt like that was my style of play. So, I’m ready for it.”