By Dave Utnik for News & Messenger/InsideNova.com (photo by John Boal)
The instincts are still there. So is all of the natural talent that Lisa DuCote displayed throughout a soccer career that has spanned nearly two decades.
At 23, she plays more for enjoyment now. The aspirations that defined her youth have changed.
And DuCote is okay with that.
She just completed work on a master’s degree in exercise physiology from West Virginia University and is preparing for life beyond the soccer field. But when Northern Virginia Majestics’ coach Jac Cicala asked her if she could help out for a few W-League games while some key players recover from injuries, DuCote didn’t have to think twice about an answer.
She put retirement on hold and returned to a spot on the field against the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday night that she has occupied at one level or another in the Majestics program since she was 14 years old.
“It’s great to come back and play,” DuCote said. “It brings back some great memories being with these girls.
“I was here at the beginning of the year practicing with them and then I went on a little vacation for a while. Pretty much all I’ve been doing is running and lifting.”
DuCote was once considered among the best soccer players in the country — a high school All-American, Gatorade state player of the year and a member of the U.S. national women’s soccer team pool.
But when she took the field on Saturday night as a starting midfielder, the former Massaponax High School star wasn’t playing for anything beyond the moment.
“I got injured my freshman year of college and that kind of changed my perspective of life,” she said. “You learn to accept things for what they are and, if anything, it gave me more opportunities to go back and help other people in life.”
Right now she is giving back to a young Majestics’ squad that is searching for some much-needed chemistry on offense. Their 2-0 loss to Charlotte on Saturday was the team’s eighth shutout defeat in nine matches this season.
“We’re in every single game. No one has blown us away,” Cicala said. “In the second half of the season, we’re getting better, but it’s just that at this point in time we’ve got to solve the problem of how to get something in the back of the net.
“We’ve generated two goals all year and that’s not enough.”
Both of the Majestics’ goals — one by Jasmine Riley and one from Stephanie Hylton — came in the team’s lone victory against the Richmond Kickers Destiny on June 7.
With a W-League playoff berth no longer a possibility, Cicala will devote the remaining three games to finding a lineup that can finish off scoring opportunities.
DuCote is part of that equation.
“She’s a leader on the field for us and her school, West Virginia, played this system so she can organize the midfield a little bit,” the veteran coach said.
Had she not torn two ligaments in her right knee against Kentucky during her college debut in 2004, there’s no telling where DuCote’s career might have taken her. Still, she took a medical red-shirt and wound up helping the Mountaineers capture the Big East Tournament championship as a senior by converting a game-clinching shootout goal against Notre Dame in the title game.
Cicala is hoping that her presence — and five seasons of W-League experience — will provide this young squad with guidance and inspiration. She nearly scored twice against Charlotte, sending one shot inches over the cross bar and another just wide of the right post, but the Majestics’ score-less streak was ultimately extended to five games despite a new formation that featured Liz Carroll, Jessica Paris, Jasmine Riley and 16-year-old Jessica Frech alongside DuCote at midfield and East Carolina junior Bailey Wilcox, who was promoted from the U20 squad, at center forward.
“We were trying to jump start this young offense, do something new and go at them right away,” Cicala said. “I was determined to keep the system the same and keep the pressure on.”
With three players — defender Megan Watson, midfielder Kate Tisenger and Hylton — sidelined by injuries and two others — defenders Mary Casey and Corinna Strickland — unavailable because of family commitments, the Majestics (1-8-0) battled Charlotte to a scoreless stalemate until the 48th minute.
Danielle dos Santos scored off an assist from Christy Rife to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead and Lindsey Ozimek connected on a penalty kick at the 58th minute as Charlotte remained tied for sec-ond in the Atlantic Division at 5-2-2.
“This team has so much potential,” DuCote said. “This group is amazing, they are just a little young and they have to get used to playing together.
“As these girls keep playing, this team is going to get better and better. Unfortunately, this year, we’re not going to be able to go to the playoffs but I think next year they’ll be going.”
