HELENA — Most athletes can say they’ve made history — but Carroll College women’s soccer goalkeeper Maria Ackerman isn’t most athletes.
The Billings native recently became Carroll women’s soccer’s first-ever NAIA national player of the week honoree.
“Um, it feels pretty good. It’s rewarding,” said Ackerman. “But, like I’ve been telling my teammates, that’s a team award to me. Obviously, the goalkeeper can’t do it by themselves.”
Carroll head coach David Thorvilson has been with Carroll’s women’s soccer program for over 20 years.
“She’s got tremendous personality. She wants to win. And those things really kind of come together,” said Thorvilson. “She holds a pretty high standard for the players she plays with. She has high expectations ... and I think that kind of ups the level for everybody else as well.”
Thorvilson noted how well his star goalkeeper works with her backline.
“So, I think that there’s a chemistry and kind of a connection to that point,” said Thorvilson. “She draws the best out of them, and the other players that kind of come and help out.”
Ackerman called her teammates her best friends.
“Seriously, this is the best team chemistry that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Ackerman. “Just the families that are a part of our program and the people that we play with are super supportive. We’re all best friends outside of soccer, and so I just think the relationships that we’ve built with each other have been super crucial to our success.”
