LYNNFIELD — It’s not often that a player can come into a program and instantly make an impact, but for the Lynnfield girl’s soccer team, Anna Maria Ferrante did just that.
Over her four years with the Pioneers, Ferrante became almost automatic, with plenty of goals and assists on the offensive side of the field. Ferrante helped lead a Lynnfield team that earned its first Cape Ann League Large League (Kinney) championship in program history this fall and was named a CAL co-MVP in her senior season.
“Anna started playing for us right away in the middle of her freshman year and became a great asset for the team,” Lynnfield coach Mark Vermont said. “She has great vision on the soccer field. She has a great ability to hold the ball and find open players and has the foot skills to take the ball to goal.
“It’s her vision but also her ability to go one on one against players that makes her so dangerous for opponents,” Vermont said. “She was that willingness to take people on offensively.”
And now Ferrante will take her talents to the next level after committing to continue playing soccer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh this year. Ferrante, who has always put an emphasis on excelling in the classroom as well as the field (she is ranked No. 2 in her class), is excited for the opportunity.
“It’s an amazing school academically and that was really big for me,” Ferrante said. “I really like the variety of good programs that they have in engineering. And being able to play soccer too was great.
“I talked to some of the players and coaches there already and I’m rooming with another freshman on the team,” Ferrante said. “The coaches seem really nice and they seem like a really close team.”
Being a part of a close-knit group is one of the things that made playing for the Pioneers such a great experience for Ferrante.
“Our team at Lynnfield was very close,” Ferrante said. “It’s my favorite team that I’ve been on in my life. Having the support of my teammates was always so helpful. We all support each other and love the game. I got to play with some of my best friends and that helped me get through any challenges, whether it was being hurt or not playing well.”
Vermont is glad to see Ferrante join the group of Pioneers alumni that started the path onto bright futures both on and off the field.
“It’s always great to see the girls moving on to the next level,” Vermont said. “We’ve had kids go on and even play on club teams, you always just want them to keep playing as much as they can. Excited for all of them, it’s great to see.
“Anna is very bright academically and Carnegie Mellon is a high academic school,” Vermont said. “It’ll be an adjustment for the college level but I’m sure she’ll handle it great.”
While there’s not any soccer to be played during the coronavirus pandemic, Ferrante is still keeping busy with a variety of workout plans this offseason.
“I’ve been working out a lot,” Ferrante said. “My club team has a virtual training workout plan and Carnegie Mellon sent over their summer workout plan that I’ve been able to follow.”
For Ferrante, who still remains undecided on a major but has an interest in Chemical Biomedical Engineering, keeping her body in shape for her first season with the Tartans is her top priority.
“I haven’t thought much about goals for the actual season, I want to make sure I’m prepared,” Ferrante said. “I know it’s going to be challenging, there’s a lot of great girls on the team. I just want to do the best that I can.”
