'Be dangerous': RMU's Renae Mohrbacher makes adjustment to collegiate soccer
During her high school soccer career at Freedom Area High School, Renae Mohrbacher was one of the focal points of a Bulldog team that experienced success while she played at the high school level.
Now, in just her second season playing at the collegiate level, the former Freedom Area star two-sport athlete is making a sizable impact on the pitch at Robert Morris University as the Colonials are in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history. Currently, RMU holds an overall record of 10-3-3 and a 4-3-1 record in Horizon League play.
Adjusting from high school to the collegiate level is not always easy for most athletes who enjoyed success in high school and for Mohrbacher, it took some time for her to work things out during her first season, appearing in 18 matches while registering six points on one goal and four assists.
Even after the offensive struggles last season, the sophomore worked hard in the offseason and used the 2022 season as a learning experience and an adjustment period to prepare for the current season.
“I didn't have quite as many goals as I would have liked,” Mohrbacher said. “I think that it was a big adjustment because in high school, you have maybe more time to get the best shot off, and it's not as physical as it is here at the collegiate level. The biggest thing that I look at is knowing when I have to take a chance and be dangerous. Sometimes as coach Chris [Shaw] says you just have to take a touch and then hit and it has to be quick because with the good defenders that we have in this conference, it's harder to just take your time and that was an adjustment for me.”
Fast forward to this season and the sophomore midfielder's adjustments have paid off as she has broken out in her second season at the collegiate level, tripling her point total in just 15 matches posting 21 points overall while finding the back of the net seven times with seven helpers throughout this season.
Mohrbacher worked hard during the offseason to see results out on the pitch for the Colonials to begin the 2023 season, but Robert Morris Head Coach Chris Shaw believes that it is not just the work that she puts in on the field that makes her special, but it is the mental side of the game where the sophomore excels in.
“Renae works hard, but I think more than her work ethic is her soccer brain,” Shaw said. “She’s a very intelligent soccer player, she makes really good decisions and she's technically clean. She works hard don't get me wrong, but if you asked me to talk about her strengths it's her it's her ability to think the game and her ability to hold the ball and and bring midfielders into the attack. When you don't have someone on top that can hold the ball it makes the game hard and I think she's one of the best in the conference at doing just that.”
Mohrbacher’s mental intangibles have led to her success this season and it has caught the eyes of the Horizon League as during the Colonial's hot start to the season, the sophomore was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week after netting two goals in the team’s home match to tie St. Bonaventure in a non-conference match.
With Mohrbacher growing up just a short drive down Ohio River Boulevard in Freedom, she has had the opportunity to share these special moments in her collegiate career with her friends and family which has kept her grounded and is something the sophomore looks at as an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to playing the game that she loves.
“It has been amazing, especially personally, for me,” Mohrbacher said. “I wanted to stay close to home so that my family could come and watch my games, because that is super important. They have always been a part of my soccer journey as both of my parents were the ones who coached me. Oftentimes, I can just look to them on the sidelines and they give me a boost on something that I need to do better, if I need some encouragement, they're always there which is super important for you to have at any level.
Over the past several years, Robert Morris has had success with landing WPIAL products that played soccer in the Western Pa. region, and Shaw believes that it is important to keep the talent in the area when he builds up his roster.
“We always want to try to keep the local talent. We don't want to be losing kids that are in our area to schools that are outside of our area because it is good to have those types of players at a Western Pa. university. it's good to have Western Pa. kids. We can’t recruit exclusively in the area so we try to smatter it with kids from out-of-state and internationals. As a staff, you know of the local kids a little bit earlier and you try to sell the fact that you will be playing in your backyard and you will be playing for your hometown.
Mohrbacher is surrounded by 12 other WPIAL products on this year’s team many of whom she competed against at the club level during her high school career. Having competed against some of her teammates while playing at the club level, and now playing together collegiately at Robert Morris has been a full-circle moment for the sophomore.
A lot of these girls [teammates] were on the Beadling Soccer Club and so I played against them for years,” Mohrbacher said. “So coming into Robert Morris I knew who they were and to now get to like to have connections with Malia [Kearns] and Paloma [Swankler], those are all people who more towards the offensive line. To be able to get to work with those three is super cool because I had been competing against them for years and now to be teammates and friends it is just really special to have that opportunity.”
Robert Morris looks to continue to use Mohrbacher’s strong offensive success in her sophomore season as they look to make a push to the Horizon League Tournament at the end of October.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: 'Be dangerous': RMU's Renae Mohrbacher makes adjustment to collegiate soccer
