A current senior and biotechnology major at UMass Lowell, Allison LeBlanc has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old. She went from youth teams, to travel teams, and eventually to being a four-year varsity player at Saugus High.
Her freshman season at Lowell didn’t go as planned with the team struggling on the turf, but there were positive takeaways according to LeBlanc.
“It was a really good building year. We had a very young team and I think we only grew from that experience,” LeBlanc said. “Perseverance. When things are not going well either on or off the field, it’s [about] sticking through that and to learn and grow from the experience.”
Despite wearing blue today, she’s Saugus-made. Starting as a midfielder in her early years at Saugus, her coach moved her to defense. Though it was not LeBlanc’s choice, she accepted it and took it in full stride.
When asked if she would rather score a game-winning goal or make the game-winning stop, LeBlanc showed her defensive mindset.
“I think from where I am, I’m more likely to make the game-winning tackle and I’ll take that any day,” LeBlanc said.
From youth camps and tournaments, to countless awards and acknowledgements, LeBlanc loves everything about soccer. Some of her awards include being a 2x Northeastern Conference champion, an NEC MVP, First Team All-State, and an Eastern Mass All-Star among others.
“I really like the nature of competing to be the best player I can be,” LeBlanc said. “I also really like the things you get off the field with the sport – like the relationships, team culture, and surrounding yourself with people of the same interests.”
LeBlanc mentioned that once she got to high school, she realized it was a “realistic possibility” to play at the collegiate level. LeBlanc started to get recruited to Division 1 schools when she was only a sophomore.
“The recruiting process started my sophomore year. That is when I started to talk to some [college] coaches,” LeBlanc said.
Though a senior at Lowell, LeBlanc has one more year of eligibility since one of her seasons got cut short by the pandemic. LeBlanc is looking to attend graduate school at UMass Lowell in analytical chemistry while she continues her efforts on the field.
“Knowing I have one more season, I just want to make the best of it. I want to put in a good performance, but also enjoy myself since it will be the last time competing in the sport I grew up playing,” LeBlanc said. “I want to set up the program for future success – to leave it in a better place.”
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
