Playing with confidence

by Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

At times you forget that athletes are more than just athletes. They are regular students going through every day life the person sitting next to them in class. They are trying to juggle the same course loads as everyone else .

The only difference is they are doing it with a full athletic responsibility. They are dealing with the full rigors of academics along with their normal class load. For Hilbert sophomore soccer player Alex Frydel, Forensic Science / Crime Scene Investigation major, balancing both was hired at first.

Frydel will tell you the workload from high school to college is different. As a freshman, Frydel had to get used to having better time management. She had to get used to juggling the athletic commitments, afternoon practices, night games, with her challenging academic schedule.

“The workload between High School and College is completely different. The biggest challenges so far that I have had to face with my collegiate career is most definitely time management. Athletic schedules are not always set in stone, they can change with practice times and game cancellations,” stated Frydel. “Figuring out when to manage classes, schedule classes and do homework is most definitely challenging. I have learned to have a paper planner where I plan everything out. Hilbert has their first year athletic students do four hours of study hours per week. This personally was very helpful for the fact that it forced me to get into the library and do my work when I could find time. I have always said that it is challenging to balance athletics, academics and a social life.”

Frydel always had a fascination with problem solving and detective work. So when Hilbert starting recruiting her, she looked into what they had to offer. What she realized is that the professors at Hilbert had hands on experience in the field.

“While growing up I have always had a fascination for problem solving, and detective work. I picked Forensic Science - Crime Scene Investigation due to the fact that Hilbert is very hands on with the program. Hilbert also has numerous professors that have worked within the fields and know completely what they are discussing,” stated Frydel. “Finding time for my classes as they have to be in person is somewhat difficult. It is challenging based on the fact that we have afternoon practices and afternoon/night games. Coming back from the games at night can be challenging because then the next morning I have to be in classes for participation.”

On the pitch the Schuylerville, NY native has been a bright spot for Hilbert. She has started 19 of 26 games, and only missed games her freshman season because of an injury and this year because of a concussion.

On the pitch, Frydel is a key as she plays centerback, and makes sure her teammates are always in the right position. Before her injury last year, that cost her five games, Frydel shad cracked the starting lineup and was playing well.

Like most freshman Frydel went through her ups and downs - but she learned a lot about herself and came into this season more confident, and that was evident in her play.

“Transitioning into a different level can always be difficult and with new coaches there are different needs and wants by them,” stated Frydel. “I most definitely was not as confident last year as I am now. Entering my sophomore season of collegiate soccer I can definitely say I was more relaxed with what to expect. Even as time progresses I am still gaining confidence to do what I believe is correct in the scenario that I am put in. My freshman year was a bit of a roller coaster, due to missing five games for injuries. However, personally it was not all about the minutes. As my freshman year came to a close I ended the season with 819 minutes. As a freshman you do not know what to expect and with those minutes I can say it truly did lead to a major transition to the game. The movement of players, surroundings, and just the game itself was much faster than I anticipated it being.”

For Frydel it is all about being the best version of herself when she is on the pitch. She knows she isn’t the biggest player on the field, especially at the center back position. But, she has grown as a person, and player, over the past two years.

Frydel has proved to herself, and to everyone watching, that size doesn’t matter. She will go up against some of the best player in the league and shut them down.

“As a centerback the scoring possibilities are slim. But that does not stop me from being the best version I can be while I am on the field. As I am still learning as a player and a teammate, I try to give my team the best possibilities for our game,” stated Frydel. “My first two seasons I have evolved with physicality and I had to do things to decrease the scoring chances that I never thought I would do. I prove to myself, and other players that size does not matter especially when defending. The only thing that matters is how you defend. I have had to evolve my vision on and off the ball, my communication to give my team the best outcomes for our plays, and I have had to work on my timing. Knowing when to step to the ball, which side to clear it to, if I am going to find a connection pass and being physical but not too physical for a foul.”

As one of a host of sophomore’s on the team, Frydel knows she just needs to play with the same confidence she had while playing in high school. She came from Section 2, Class B-Foothills Council in Upstate New York, which can be very competitive and it led her to becoming the player she is today.

Frydel also needs to remember to just take a deep breath and let herself play the game. She knows she has the skill, and talent, to play at this level - and also have the community supporting her. Mistakes happen, it’s just not letting herself get upset over those mistakes.

“Playing calm and collected and not freaking out whenever the ball appeared at my feet was something I had to work on but in the end it made me a better player as it took time and dedication,” stated Frydel. “It was all worth it to get to the spot where I am today. Not doing so much on the pitch was definitely challenging, I had to learn about when there were too many touches or if I was making runs I should not be making. This was changeable with coaching and film watching as I was able to view exactly what I was doing correctly or incorrectly.”