Alyssa Browning needed to change her game.
And to do so, she had to learn to be a little more selfish.
That part was not easy.
Browning is a senior on the Nazareth Academy High School soccer team, and since transferring into the school prior to sophomore year, she’s been a key member of the team.
When she first got there, she played but she was more of a playmaker. That meant she would do a lot of work to get her teammates good looks, and then set them up to get the goals. It was a role she did well, and the end result put the Pandas in the Catholic League championship game in each of the past two seasons.
This year is a little different.
The Pandas are still a very good soccer team and could make it to their third straight championship, but Browning is no longer the quarterback of the offense. Now, she is the sniper who gets the Pandas on the scoreboard.
Still, it wasn’t a role she was incredibly comfortable with at the start, so she had to work hard to change her game.
The biggest part was her mindset.
“Honestly, it’s different, but still fun,” said Browning, who lives in Fox Chase. “I’m used to being an attacking center mid, so I’m giving people the balls and stuff. Now I’m scoring a lot, and it’s been a great role.
“I feel like I always try to give an extra pass. But now I know I’m up there to score, I have to create a lot more opportunities. Our center mids are very good and so are our outside mids. We have a really good team and that makes it a lot easier for me because they’re all doing their job. I just have to do mine.”
She is.
Browning has a dozen goals on the year. The biggest one was when she scored to lift the Pandas over St. Hubert. And because of her play, the Pandas head into the Catholic League playoffs as one of the teams to beat.
Considering they’ve been to back-to-back championships, they know how to win big postseason games, and Browning hopes that continues this year.
“It’s been a really good year and we have a lot of seniors, so we’re happy we’re doing so well,” Browning said. “We have eight seniors, two of them are managers, and we have some really good underclassmen. They’re doing really well. I’m really proud of how well everything has been going.”
The future is bright for the Pandas. It’s also looking good for Browning, who will continue her soccer career next year at Chestnut Hill.
“It’s a really nice school,” Browning said. “I think I’m going to do finance, business. Obviously I wanted to play soccer in college, and I love the coaches there, it’s not too far, I wanted to stay close to home.
“The girls on the team are so welcoming, I know a lot of them from playing soccer. The campus is very nice, it’s not overwhelming, it’s small, which is good. It had everything I was looking for, and it was a perfect fit.”
Just as Nazareth has been.
Browning loves playing for the Nazareth soccer team just as she loves being a part of the school’s basketball team. But she’s far more than just an athlete. She’s a good student who is involved in Naz-A-Thon, the Travis Manion Foundation and the Cancer Awareness Club. That club means a lot to Browning.
“My grandmom recently had breast cancer, that was a leading factor to have me join,” Browning said. “She doesn’t even know I joined it. She’s doing good. They caught it very early, which was great, and she was lucky enough that they caught it early and after finishing treatments. I’m very close with her. She goes to my games.
“I’m very close to all my grandparents. They support me. I’m very lucky. My mom, my dad, my brother when he comes home from college, my aunt, my uncle. I get a lot of support from my family. That means a lot.
“My mom and dad show up to every game to motivate me, cheer me on when I’m having a bad game. I’m hardest on myself, so when I’m not playing my best, they’re there for me. And my brother, he always motivates me. I look up to him for the stuff he does in soccer.”
She’ll always have them, but she realizes her fun times at Nazareth are soon coming to an end. She couldn’t be happier with her choice to go there.
However, perhaps someday she’ll return. She’s already proving she’s a great coach.
“I work at Philly Soccer, train the inhouse leagues and stuff,” Browning said. “The little, little kids. I like it a lot. They’re funny, ya know? Sometimes we’ll do 3 and 4s, and there’s 5 and 6 and then there’s 7 and 8. You get the people that wander off and some just run to their parents. But the ones who listen, they’re great. I love being around soccer and kids, so it’s a great job for me.”
