When Freedom High School opened in Loudoun County during the fall of her sophomore year, Aly Gazarek viewed it as an opportunity.

 

She didn’t necessarily want to leave her friends and teammates at Broad Run, where the Spartans were already established as one of the state’s most talented Group AA teams. But Gazarek had no choice because she lived in Freedom’s zoned district, so she embraced the move to a new school and became a founding member—and eventual star—of the Eagles’ varsity program.

 

"It was fun at Broad Run. We were one of the best teams in the district," she said. "But I looked at going to Freedom as a chance to start something and put records on the board so I took that and did what I could with it."

 

Gazarek views her first season with the Northern Virginia Majestics U-23 squad with similar enthusiasm.

 

At 18, she is one of the team’s youngest players, yet the summer has already afforded her an opportunity to learn a new position and establish herself as a part of the starting rotation for years to come.

 

"I look at Aly as an investment for future years," Majestics coach Jac Cicala said. "Right now, the key is she likes to play outside back and we’re trying to get her to embrace flank [midfielder]. That’s going to take some time. We don’t expect that to be covered in one season."

 

Gazarek has plenty of time and she is making the most of her W-League debut after playing for the Majestics’ U-20 team last summer.

 

"It means a lot to me. I am young on this team so the future will only bring more opportunities for me," she said. "I’m glad Jac has me on this team."

 

Midfield is one of those opportunities.

 

Gazarek is more comfortable playing defense, a position she will occupy at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County this fall, but the Majestics simply don’t have any room in their backfield with established stars Brittain Maas, Megan Watson, Mary Casey and Corinna Strickland forming one of the league’s best backfields.

 

The Majestics had allowed only 11 goals in seven games heading into Thursday’s Atlantic Division match at Richmond. So Cicala found another spot to utilize Gazarek’s versatility and quickness—giving her a chance to reach beyond her comfort zone.

 

"There’s a huge difference between W-League and U-20. The speed of play is so different and Jac has me playing as an outside mid so that has been a bit of a struggle for me because I’m not used to that position. But it’s helped me with the attacking aspect of the game," said Gazarek, who discovered soccer when she was 6 and went on to become the first Freedom athlete to earn a Division I scholarship after combining for 17 goals and 22 assists in her varsity career.

 

"Rather than being so defensive, he has me going up. I’m used to hanging back and defending but it’s been helpful for me as a player because you want to get as many points of view as possible."

 

Midfield remains a summer project. In a couple of months, Gazarek will likely go back to protecting the net—this time at UMBC, where she enrolled after spending her freshman year at the University of South Florida.

 

That experience will also make her a better player in the future and that’s something the Majestics are counting on.