Oct. 11, 2011
The Goal was emblematic of the way Maddy Bissaillon plays.
UMass Lowell was leading St. Michael's College last week, 1-0, about five minutes before the half. In soccer, this is one of the worst times to give up a goal, and St. Michael's made a grave error.
Following a UMass Lowell run, Bissaillon (rhymes with gazillion) took a failed clearance about 10 yards beyond the 18-yard box. She had an acre of space, enabling her to settle, take a touch toward goal and uncork a 30-yard drive that soared into the top left 90 of the goal.
It was 2-0 River Hawks going into the half. It brought head coach Elie Monteiro out of his seat and up the sideline pumping a fist. That doesn't happen often, if ever.
"It was a thing of beauty," he said.
Bissaillon smiled, ran back and raised her fist, was mobbed by her teammates, and that was it.
As far as emotions, that's all Bissaillon will allow. She plays virtually without expression. She lurks and lurks, waits for opponents to blink and then strikes. Her style matches UMass Lowell's style: possess, possess, possess ... watch for a hole, a lapse ... then attack it.
"Maddy has so much technique," said Monteiro. "She thinks about the game the way very few players do. She sees things that no other players do."
When there are 22 players on the field, typically it is the attacking players -- forwards, wingers, attacking midfielders -- who stand out. Bissaillon prowls just ahead of the defense, anonymously, orchestrating.
Bissaillon sees plays two and sometimes three passes before they happen. She's aware of every option around her, chameleon-like, knowing what she's going to do with the ball before she receives it.
"I'd say that's one of my strengths as a player," she said. "I can direct my teammates to where they should be. It really came natural. It's definitely a good trait to have."
'She was so dominant'
UMass Lowell and Bishop Fenwick High, Bissaillon's alma mater, are about 30 miles apart, but Monteiro first saw Bissaillon play in a showcase in New Jersey when she was a sophomore.
"She was so dominant in the air," Monteiro recalled. "That always stood out."
By that time, UMass Lowell was emerging in the East Region and cracking the national poll. Bissaillon, who was also being wooed by Northeast-10 Conference frontrunner St. Rose, liked the River Hawks for three things.
Her major, exercise physiology: She is thriving with a 3.6 grade point average.
Proximity: Her father, Ernie, the track and field coach at Amesbury High, attends every match while her mother, Ellen, gets to all the home matches and those local when her younger brother, McGrath, an eighth-grader, isn't running cross-country or playing club soccer. Her older brother, Jake, attends games on the weekends.
The soccer program: Bissaillon not only stepped into the starting lineup immediately, but played like a senior. She was named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team that year (2008) and to the 2009 First Team as a sophomore.
"We had started Maddy as an attacking midfielder, which was great for us," Monteiro explained. "But we were missing someone who could control the game. She is almost like a quarterback. She distributes, sets the pace, sets up her teammates. She is doing a great job in that role."
There were no honors her junior year as UMass Lowell graduated most of its best team in school history and finished 8-8-2 overall.
That has been a source of motivation for this season.
"We could've done better," she said. "But we knew we had some freshmen coming in this season that would help us."
One of those freshman is Brittany Russo of Danvers, a speedy, direct forward who has scored six goals this season -- three of which were set up by Bissaillon.
"We have a good connection," Bissaillon noted.
Bissaillon also had a stellar summer with Boston Aztec U-23 team of the Women's Professional Soccer League (WPSL), on which she was one of three Division 2 players (along with Russo) on the 2011 roster. She helped lead Aztec to the WPSL East Division title.
"Playing with Aztec has helped me, particularly this season," Bissaillon said. "It's a higher level with more possession. It was a cool experience to play against some of the Breakers."
'I am always amazed by her'
When the college soccer season ends, 99 percent of players will put their feet up, decompress and allow their bodies to heal. Bissaillon will do that too, but only for a week or so. She is also a discus thrower on UMass Lowell's track and field team.
It is a strange combination, soccer and throwing (sprints would be more logical), but Bissaillon makes it work. She has qualified for the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championship -- which pits Division 1, 2 and 3 athletes against one another -- the last two years.
"Maddy is just a really fit kid," said Barbara Smith, in her 15th year as UMass Lowell's throwing coach. "I am always amazed by her. She's an exercise physiology major, she competes in two sports and she is competitive in both sports. It's not like she's not playing. She usually plays 90 minutes.
"Even during track season, she stays in shape for soccer," Smith added. "She's on a treadmill for soccer and she's lifting weights for throwing. She's one of my favorite athletes that I've ever had. She is so easy to coach."
Bissaillon is a soccer player who also throws the discus, but she is just as passionate about the latter. In talking about the upcoming indoor and outdoor season, she is blunt. She wants the NE-10 discus title.
"I've been capable the last two years," Bissaillon said. "If I had thrown what I'm capable of, I'd have done it. I've thrown over 140 feet in practice, but it doesn't always translate in a meet."
It is still the fall, though, and UMass Lowell is enjoying one of its best seasons in the team's 17-year history with a 7-2-2 overall record and a 6-2-1 clip in the NE-10 (fourth place going into tomorrow's home match against nemesis Merrimack).
"I think if we can take care of business, I think we can finish as high as second," she said. "If we continue like we've played in the last three games (wins over New Haven, 2-0, St. Michael's and Franklin Pierce, 1-0), we'll get to the NCAAs. I think this could be a special group."
