Terranova committed to William Smith

by Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

There was a time when the college coaches did all the recruiting. They came to all the games, talked to the all the players, and tried to sell them on their school.

While that does happen to a certain extent, it is now the student-athlete that puts themselves out there. They are looking over schools and narrowing down their choices. From there they are getting their tape together and emailing the coaches - and showing their interest.

With social media it makes recruiting a little easier than the old days. Now the student-athletes can been seen easier, but it’s till hard for some putting themselves out there.

Starpoint High School’s Olivia Terranova started the recruiting process during her sophomore year. That’s when she emailed coaches showing her interest in their program, and school.

From there she started to narrow her list to the schools that best fit her both athletically and academically.

“To get to the point of my college recruitment, I began to talk to coaches during my sophomore year of high school. I emailed 11 colleges over my winter break to start the process, then I began to gradually narrow down my choices,” stated Terranova. “While I was doing that, I switched club teams, going from Williamsville Stampede to Buffalo Hurricanes. I was the only u19 goalie during indoor and outdoor and I went to every tournament that we played in. I worked with my head coach, Alicia Pollinger, and my goalkeeper coach, Madison Miranda. Both of them helped me to get to the point that I’m at today and I’m so grateful. I recorded all of my games during my club and varsity seasons, and I made game film compilations to send to the colleges that I was communicating with.”

As Terranova went through the process, she realized she was more independent and driven. While it came down to the coaches offering her a chance to play at the end of the day, Terranova still controlled where she wanted to go.

She did all the research, and went to the clinics. She was able to tour the schools she wanted to attend, and narrow those decisions down based on what she saw and felt.

“As I went through the recruiting process, I realized that I was more independent and driven than I thought,” stated Terranova. “Having to consistently communicate with adults and coaches over a computer can be challenging for some, myself included, however I overcame those challenges and reached my goal with the help of my coaches and parents.”

All this hard work led Terranova to commit to Williams Smith in Geneva, NY. When Terranova visited campus she fell in the love with the school and the area. The coaches were great when she went on her visit, and she can’t wait to keep working, and learning from them.

The school also has a great alumni program, to go along with a top-notch law program, which is what Terranova wants to go into.

“William Smith stood out to me mostly because of its beautiful campus and the town that it’s located in (HWS is located in the finger lakes in Geneva, NY). Not only is the campus beautiful but working with the coaches was a great experience. I worked with head coach Sophie Riskie, and assistant coach Katie Lass. Both coaches were amazing to work with and I’m very excited to continue working with them next fall,” stated Terranova. “HWS also has a very strong alumni program as well as a law program. My goal is to become a lawyer and the courses and connections the HWS provides are designed to help me become as successful as I can be. Overall, I felt at home and the atmosphere was everything that I was looking for.”

When she signed her letter you could feel the weight of the world come off her shoulders. Now, instead of going out and playing with coaches in the stands watching her every move, Terranova could just go out and play free and easy.

She no longer had to look over her shoulder when playing. She got into the school she wanted, too. Now, it’s about securing her finical aid, and other things, that’s goes into going to college.

“Now that I’ve signed, I feel like a lot of pressure is off my shoulders. I’ve made it to the school that I wanted to go to and I don’t have to worry about applying to other schools,” stated Terranova. “The only pressure that I feel is getting my financial affairs in order, such as student aid, however I’m working with my parents on my applications and it’s a lot less stressful because I know where I’m going.”

On the field Terranova in one of the best goaltenders in Western New York, a position she wasn’t intent on playing. She was a defenseman for ice hockey, and expected to play that position when it came to field hockey.

In eighth grade, Terranova was called up to the junior varsity program. There they didn’t have a goalie and the rest is history.

“Initially, I never wanted to play goalie. I play defense in ice hockey and I intended to keep that position in field hockey as well. During 8th grade, I got pulled up to JV and I wanted to keep playing defense, however our team didn’t have a goalie. Two of my teammates, Jordan Duncan and Julia Lukasik, called me out and told me that I should play goalie. I immediately said no, however they were persistent which caused me to cave in and try it,” explained Terranova. “Little did I know that I was going to continue playing that position for the entire season. The next year, the modified goalie came up to JV and I was able to go back to playing defense, but then the varsity coach said she also needed a goalie, so I was back at it. After that season, my dad and I realized that I was permanently in that position, and that realization is what started my club, varsity, and college career. “

Her success on the field has also led to team success. Starpoint took care of business with their Sectional win earlier this fall. It was a moment that Terranova and her teammates will never forget.

All the hard work she put it paid off that night with the win.

“The emotions were unforgettable after our sectional win. The memories we made along the way began to flash before our eyes and I couldn’t believe that we had actually won,” stated Terranova. “I never doubted our team and I always believed that we could do it, but actually being able to win was shocking to say the least. We were all ecstatic and it was the most amazing night in my entire high school career.”

In that game, Terranova made the save of the season. In the shootout, it looked like Terranova was down and out but at the last second she made the division save with the paddle of her stick to keep the ball out.


While those watching though she was beat on the play, Terranova was in complete command of her area.

“For goalkeepers, it is harder to move in our pads compared to a field player, so it’s important for us to be light on our feet to be able to keep up with the shooter. With that being said, the girl that I was up against was very quick, however I was able to read her move and her shot based on her position and the angle at which she shot the ball,” stated Terranova. “Before I dive, I usually try to estimate how high the shot will be and I try to close space between me and the ball to prevent it from lifting over me or breaking loose, and that’s what happened in that situation and I was able to make the save.”