BU-bound Wakefield named to NSCAA All-Region Team
Date: 1/15/2014
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comWILBRAHAM – As a little girl, Christina Wakefield ran the sidelines at her older sister’s Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) girls’ soccer games as a ball girl.
Years later, the senior from East Longmeadow leaves that field one of the most decorated players the Titans ever had.
Wakefield, committed to play soccer for Division I Boston University next season, added to her long list of accolades by earning a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s All-Region Team for New England, a distinction just one step below All-American status.
Not aware of the honor, she went to the school meeting in the Alumni Memorial Chapel as usual on Dec. 19. It was there she learned of her selection.
“I was shocked. I didn’t expect it at all and going up there and receiving it was just such an awesome feeling,” Wakefield said of the honor.
Wakefield joined only three other female players in WMA history to have reached that level and in addition to that honor, she was named to the Massachusetts All-State Soccer Team, the 2013 Boston Globe All-Start Team and the Women’s Western New England Preparatory School Soccer Association All-League Team.
Wakefield scored 22 goals during the 2013 season and finished her four-year WMA career with 71 goals, third most in program history.
“She’s had four outstanding years,” head coach Don Nicholson said. “Right away she was an impact player, even as a freshman. She’s always had the knack of being a strong player.”
Over the years, Wakefield said, Nicholson kept pushing her outside of her comfort zone, which she credited with aiding her growth.
“Coach Nic pushed me to do things I’d never do and that has helped me improve my skill and technique,” she said.
Most of all, Wakefield said she has developed into a much more confident player.
“That’s something that coach Nic has really pushed me to achieve,” she said. “I used to always get down on myself and I’ve built my confidence up to the point where if I miss a shot, I just move on to the next.”
Nicholson said this year Wakefield served as team captain and took to the role seamlessly.
“She’s fiercely competitive, but she’s also such a nice kid. She’s grown into more than just a good player; I think I value her more as a great teammate. She was a very responsible and respected captain,” he said.
Those characteristics were key in helping the Titans get back to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council playoffs in a season during which the team could have gone either way. The Titans lost nine players, the majority of which were starters, to graduation and returned only three seniors.
“At first we didn’t know how the team was going to be,” Wakefield said. “It took a little while to get the feel for each other, but eventually we did. One of the forwards, Alex Baltazar and I connected really well and as the season progressed, it turned into something awesome.”
Nicholson said he and Wakefield maintained a focus on consistent improvement and his senior captain played a pivotal role in the team’s development over the course of the season.
“I think sometimes it’s easier to be a leader on a team when you’ve got a lot of seniors and experience,” he said. “I think it’s more difficult with a young team and she took the job seriously, she would communicate her thoughts with me, and the girls really respected her and trusted her. She was such a critical part of the success.”
Wakefield now goes on to a Boston University team that finished the year 15-4-4 and advanced to the second round of the second round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament in 2013. Nicholson said he is confident she would have little problem making the transition.
“She doesn’t back down from anybody. She has a work rate that is one of the best I’ve seen,” he said. “She’s just a pure soccer player and a born goal scorer. She’s going to make a great transition to the college game.”
Wakefield said she is undecided on her major, but could look into something in the sciences, such as biomedical studies.
