Athlete of the Week: Emily Brown

Over the years, Emily Brown has dabbled with many forms of competition, but soccer has been her greatest inspiration. "I loved watching the national team and knew I wanted to be like them," Brown said. For the country's next generation of female soccer stars, Brown believes it's paramount to put your team in a position to succeed.

Northborough Patch finds out how Brown is helping others on the Tomahawks reach their goals this season. 

Northborough Patch: You’re one of the top defensive midfielders for Algonquin. What other ways do you look to contribute to the team?

Emily Brown: I think one of the most important ways to help your team is to lead by example. That means always working hard at every practice and every game. You can’t expect your teammates to do what you are asking if you aren’t doing it yourself. I believe that if you put in the time and are always working your hardest, the rest will follow. 

NP: What are you focusing to improve on as a team this season?

EB: The team is very strong this year and we have a lot of talented players. What we really need to work on is playing the simple balls. We have a tendency to try and force the ball forward, but we have the talent to keep possession and control the ball - even if it means just playing it back. But In order to make these simple passes, there needs to be a lot of movement off the ball which is something else we need to improve. 

NP: People say for players to get better, it’s just about spending the time. 

EB: I think that players have to spend a lot of time playing soccer to get better, but I think it takes a little more than that. You really have to want to get better and actually enjoy doing it. You could spend a lot of time playing, but if you don’t have fun doing it you won’t get as much out of it and won’t want to continue playing. 

NP: What advice do you offer to the younger players as far as wanting to reach their goals?

EB: I would say to always work hard because that’s the only way you are going to get better. Also, always have a goal for yourself and try to just focus on one goal at a time. If you try to work on too many things at once, it is hard to be productive. Just keep that one goal in the back of your head whenever you are playing and after a while it will just become second nature to you. Then you can move on to your next goal.

NP: Do you ever find it difficult to build chemistry with teammates who are not accustomed to playing together?

EB: Honestly, never. Sure it’s hard those first couple of practices, but after that it gets so much easier. Also, our team bonding events are so helpful. After we have our first team party, our team chemistry improves so much.

NP: How do you think the U.S Women’s soccer team will do in the future?

EB: Oh, U.S. Women’s soccer is definitely going to get better in the future. The sport is already so popular and it is continuing to grow. With so many athletes, soccer is getting more and more competitive which makes the overall level of play that much better. 

NP: Is there anything specific that you do to prepare for a game?

EB: I always eat well and try to get a good night’s sleep – except that is not always possible with all of the homework in high school. Before every game I also choose one goal that I am going to focus on and then I mentally picture myself doing it. I visualize all of the things that I want to see myself doing. Also, ever since I was little my mom would tell me to play with confidence and to tell myself that I am a good player. So I tell myself that before every game. It’s a little embarrassing but it really does help. 

NP: Do you play any other sports other than soccer at Algonquin?

EB: Yes, I also do indoor track. I run the 600m and the 800m. I also coach soccer in the spring. For the past two years I have coached an U9/U10 girls team.