For Immediate Release
October 20, 2011
Courtesy of the Kennebec Journal, Written by Bill Stewart
Her heart pounded and her nerves flared. The moment finally had arrived for Olivia Boivin.
"It was nerve-racking," she said. "I couldn't believe it was happening. I was so excited. I had worked incredibly hard to get to this point. All my hard work was finally paying off. I was actually starting."
Boivin, a freshmen defender for the Southern New Hampshire University women's soccer team, was informed an hour before the season-opening game against UMass-Lowell that she had earned a starting job.
So here she was, on Sept. 1, starting her first collegiate game, which came in Philadelphia against Holy Family University.
"I pushed myself to the limits to get to that point," she added. "I really wanted it."
And the former Cony High School standout got it.
Boivin is one of just two freshmen to start every game for Division II Southern New Hampshire (8-6-1), which competes in the Northeast-10 Conference.
"Coming in, we told her she needed to earn it," Southern New Hampshire coachTerry Prouty said. "We let her know she has to earn it here. And she did. She knows she is relied upon every single game. I have to put the best 11 players on the field. I was hired to win. That's my job. I'm not here to play everyone or make everyone happy. My athletic director wants me to win. If we don't win, I'm not happy."
Boivin starts at center back for the Penmen, who run a 4-5-1 system.
"When I first stepped on the field, I was thinking, 'Is this really happening right now?' " she said. "The first game I was really shaky. My heart was just pounding. I couldn't believe it. But I feel fine now. I feel confident on the field. I am much more comfortable on the field."
Boivin said it was a difficult transition from the high school game to the collegiate level.
"The game is 100 times faster and 100 times more competitive," she said. "You go from high school, where there are a few good players, to college, where everyone is as good or better than you. It was an eye-opener. I expected it to be different, but I didn't think it would've been this much different."
Boivin also didn't expect to be attending Southern New Hampshire, located in Manchester, N.H.
She was in the process of committing to the University of Vermont, but plans changed when coach Kwame Lloyd abruptly resigned last October.
The program didn't accept any new recruits when new coach Kristi Lefebvre came on board.
"I was like, 'Oh my God' and went into instant panic mode," Boivin said. "I was in the process of committing and I kind of got screwed out of that deal. It was way too late to try to get into another Division I school, too. I was scrambling to find a new school. My options were to go to Division II or III school or do a post-graduate year somewhere. But I was so over with high school."
Boivin reached out to several New England schools and Southern New Hampshire expressed interest.
"They watched a video of me and they wanted me," she said. "It turned out to be a really good fit. I love it here."
Added Prouty: "We went to see her games and we asked her if there was any interest. I think it worked out well."
