Midfielder Takes Game To Next Level

“I play a very simple, one or two touch game. I’m not a very fancy player; I just try to keep it simple and keep the ball moving.”

So explains the Harvard women’s soccer team’s Lizzy Nichols, in her usual uncomplicated manner, when asked to describe her style of play. Yet her inclusion in the sports pages, it would appear, bucks a general trend.

As aesthetically attractive as soccer is as a spectacle, one of the reasons for its enduring appeal is its simplicity. Yet despite this, players encapsulating this approach are the ones often overlooked by the majority of people. Read the soccer coverage in newspapers—the emphasis tends to be on the flamboyance of attacking midfielders and the glory of the goal-scorers, rather than those players whose style revolves around keeping possession and breaking up the opposition’s moves.

In the case of talented sophomore defender-cum-midfielder Lizzy Nichols, however, it is a case of no guts, no glory—an attitude that has seen her selected as part of a 34-player pool for the United States U-20 Women’s National Team training camp in California between April 5-12.

For Nichols, it is the latest in a long line of collegiate accolades with the Crimson. In the past two seasons, she has earned All-Ivy first and second team recognition, a spot on the NSCAA All-Northeast Region second team, and been an Academic All-Ivy League honoree. She played all 17 games for Harvard in 2007, tallying a goal and an assist, and proved a stalwart defender as the team recorded a 10-6-1 record.

On the basis of these individual and collective successes, it was no surprise Nichols’ enthusiasm resonated over the phone, in anticipation of a memorable training session with the national team.

“The weather here is unbelievable,” she exclaims. “The opportunity to play with this level of players, and the training and coaching staff we have here, is really great. This afternoon we’re actually going to be playing with Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy. It’s an unbelievable opportunity to play at such a high level.”

For Nichols to play in the presence of two legends of the US Women’s soccer scene is a far cry from passing with her brother in their back garden, growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. Immersed in a family culture where soccer was a second language, her trademark passion and professionalism was evident from an early age.

“I’ve played soccer ever since I could remember,” she recalls. “Whether it was just me and my brother playing in the back yard every day, or whether it was going to shooting practices that were near my houses, I would just try to take any opportunity to play.”

A high school graduate of The Lawrenceville School, Nichols admits she benefited from numerous influences in her formative years.

“My brother was definitely one of [those influences],” she said. “But I really grew up in an environment in Princeton that had a lot of good players and coaches, and I was able to jump into training sessions all the time. I definitely would say that my club team—the [Players Development Academy]—has had a lot to do with my success as a player.”

By the time Nichols had come to choosing a future college, her exploits at club and high school level had made her a prized recruiting prospect. With several options available, she explains why she plumped for donning the Crimson of Harvard.

“I think that what drew me here to Harvard was just spending a couple of days with the team on my official visit,” she says. “I knew that, no matter what place I was going to be at, I needed to be surrounded by the right people, and I really feel that I’m surrounded by an amazing amount of character here.”

Ever the consummate team player, Nichols connection with her rest of her Crimson colleagues is simply one of the many reasons she has to be grateful for her progress.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be at Harvard because it definitely feels like a fit for me,” she continues. “I have an amazing team and great coaches to excel as a player, but I also get the academics that I really need as a person to succeed in other areas of my life.”

This desire to become a fully-rounded person in addition to honing abilities on the field is characteristic of Nichols’ outlook. With a joint concentration in History & Literature and History of Art & Architecture, soccer proves not just a release from studies but a learning tool.

“I am a big believer that the character that you build on the field translates to other areas of your life,” she says. “I think that soccer, more than just giving me skills and the ability to play in a game, has given me skills that I use in all parts of my life.”

Possessing a maturity beyond her years on and off the field at Harvard, her leadership skills and sense of responsibility come to the fore as she praises the team as the basis for her individual success.

“I think that the atmosphere we have on the team is amazing,” she says. “I receive an unbelievable amount of support coming out here. I’ve just got a number of emails, and text messages, and phone-calls, all giving me support for being out here, and I think that just shows what kind of character the team has.”

Speaking on behalf of the team, Harvard women’s soccer coach Ray Leone reciprocated Nichols’ humility.

“We’re very pleased that she got an invitation,” Leone enthused. “She’s a fantastic player...she’s a very technical and very tactical player, and she understands the game at a very high level.”

Approaching the halfway point of her college career, the future for Lizzy Nichols appears rosy. But would her present remain Crimson, if offered a three-year contract by a professional club?

Nichols remained coy over her prospects of playing the game as a full-time job.

“It would depend on how I’m feeling in terms of my body at that moment,” she says. “I think that I do have a certain amount of years left at this level because of injuries and things like that, but that aside, I think that that would be a great opportunity, and I would love to continue playing this game.

Professional aspirations notwithstanding, one thing is certain: for a player who prides herself on simplicity, it seems the burgeoning career of Lizzy Nichols will continue to dominate the sports pages for the foreseeable future.