'What am I supposed to do now?: Oviedo rebounds for sixth season with Vermont soccer
For five seasons in Burlington, Alyssa Oviedo has spun on defenders, slipped through balls and toed the backline for the Catamounts.
The University of Vermont women's soccer midfielder fights above her size in the box and in the field of play more than most. She often finds her way to the turf, but Oviedo always chases the next possession.
“She's someone that the way she plays, she draws a lot of attention to her whether it's a scouting report or she's so dangerous that people just tend to converge on her,” UVM coach Kristi Huizenga said. “She tends to end up on the ground a lot.”
At Long Island University for the fourth game of the 2022 season, Oviedo was in the run of play when a defender came crashing down on the knee of the New Jersey native. Oviedo dropped on contact and her would-be final season ended prematurely.
“I remember getting on the bench crying and just looking at (the coaches) and just being like, ‘What am I supposed to do now?’” Oviedo said.
At halftime of the LIU contest, a relieved Oviedo, who was already playing on the extra COVID-19 eligibility year, was told she'd be cleared for a medical waiver and gain a sixth season with the Catamounts. But a full ACL recovery awaited the Catamount star.
“In this climate of having extra years and people looking for opportunities elsewhere to transfer, to just really have someone that, a captain especially, to just instantly have that mindset meant a lot to us as a coaching staff,” Huizenga said. “I think just over the course of the year that really sank in and resonated with the team as well.”
Oviedo’s extra season with the Catamounts
Following a 10-month recovery Oviedo, who led all UVM scorers with six goals and three assists during the 2021 America East championship-winning season, had her first game action this summer with the Dominican Republic national team.
The playing time was brief as she found her footing, but Oviedo, who first joined UVM in 2018, connected with her midfield partner and sister, Jazlyn.
“We just came off from playing some national team friendlies and I had limited minutes, but we were able to get a little bit of a connection there and I think we're just anxious and excited to show Vermonters what our connection is,” Oviedo said.
Related: What to know about the 2023 fall season for UVM teams
Jazlyn Oviedo transferred from Monmouth to UVM last year and only shared the field with her sister for those four games. This fall will be the first time the duo has played together for an entire season since high school.
“I was starting to play with her, but then she tore (her ACL), and it was like, I have to go into this season alone,” Jazlyn Oviedo said. “But now having her back I feel like her experience kind of helps me to feel more confident in the middle.”
Alyssa Oviedo has appeared in 62 games for the Catamounts, tallying 11 goals and three assists over that time, including three match-winning tallies in 2021.
“We lost a lot just losing her as a soccer player, but also just her voice and her leadership and experience everywhere,” Huizenga said. “She did the best she could with it but dealing with that injury and then going right into surgery and then focusing on your recovery is obviously a very tall task to also lead the team.”
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Said Jazlyn Oviedo: “She just has a different style of play that I think elevates our team a lot and I've been playing with her for a while. That connection, I feel like I missed out a little and she brings us speed and technicality.”
Alyssa Oviedo is cleared for the Catamounts’ season-opener at Boston University on Thursday.
“She really crushed her training over the summer and she looks so great out there right now,” Huizenga said. “You can tell that she's playing very freely, which is nice because a lot of people in that situation are very hesitant when they first come back.”
Year 13 for Colchester’s Huizenga
Huizenga’s squad has seven newcomers in the fold and 12 combined graduate students and seniors as the longtime coach builds for the present and future.
During Tuesday’s scrimmage against St. Anselm, the Cats had an entirely new back line in the second half as Huizenga worked through the rotation.
“We have enough talent with our upperclassmen that we could run a full upperclassmen lineup,” Huizenga said. “But something that's important for us is looking at the big picture, whether that's the length of this season and future seasons, to be able to have opportunities for people to develop. Also, depth-wise the freshmen are talented enough to be able to step right in.”
Huizenga is second all-time in wins at 68-106-31, trailing John Carter’s 142 total wins from 1979-94.
“Every single team and group has a different twist and a different personality and brings different challenges and opportunities,” Huizenga said. “There are some things I think that get easier with more experience you have and that you will just learn from along the way of your coaching mistakes and wins.”
The Catamounts’ home opener is on Sunday against Merrimack at 2 p.m.
Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: UVM women's soccer: Oviedo returns for sixth year after ACL injury
