Lake Forest Soccer Player Commits to Play for Miami

The following is from Eclipse Select Soccer Club:

Eclipse Select Soccer Club defender Hannah Marwede (Lake Forest, Ill.) credits the club for her increasingly assertive demeanor and leadership over the years. Now, Marwede will look forward to utilizing her skills in the incredibly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

Marwede recently announced her commitment to play for Miami starting in the fall of 2016, and representing the Hurricanes in the ACC is already motivating her as she continues performing at a high level with Eclipse Select.

“I’m just so excited to play in the ACC,” Marwede said. “I’m really looking forward to that, and just knowing that I will be playing in that conference makes me want to keep training super hard to help the team when I come in.

“I visited all types of schools – big, small, private and public – and after Miami came to one of our games, they showed interest in me. I was definitely interested, and I could tell after my first visit with them that things clicked and I fit in well with their coaching staff.”

Under the guidance of Eclipse Select President Rory Dames and the club’s experienced staff, Marwede says she has made the biggest strides in changing what she says was a passive approach before joining the club.

“When I first came to Eclipse, I was not a very aggressive player,” Marwede said. “Rory and the coaches branded the fact that you cannot be passive. They really changed me from a player who was too soft. Now I’m aggressive, hard-nosed, and mentally I’m much stronger.”

Marwede joined Eclipse Select as a U-12, and a few years earlier she was predominantly a midfielder or forward through U-10. She zoned in on center back shortly after, and anchoring the line has been a passionate part of her game ever since.

“I have always had the mentality of embracing the fact that I’m the last person,” Marwede said. “I like tracking down players and not letting anyone get past me. I love that role.”

That role is being put to the test season with Eclipse Select’s Elite Clubs National League U-16 team. That age group is looking to defend its ECNL title after winning the U-15 crown last year.

“We worked so hard, and now to defend our title again is even more exciting,” Marwede said. “We’re definitely feeling some extra pressure, but it’s always nice to walk on that field and prove that we can defend our national championship. Other teams are giving their best effort against us, so we have to be at the top of our game.”

Marwede comes from a college sports family – her father in football and mother in tennis – so that competitive nature has always been in her blood.

“They love learning my sport and seeing me put everything into it,” Marwede said. “My dad and mom are always telling me about how this process to play in college is so different from when they played.”

At Miami, Marwede looks to continue her center back duties and play a prominent role from the start under Hurricanes head coach Mary-Frances Monroe.

“Coach Monroe is great,” Marwede said. “She’s passionate and has great energy. She’s excited for the program, and I’m looking forward to working with her and being a part of changing the program around. She’s a great coach.”

Among the things Marwede is focused on toward making the transition, she wants to be prepared for the physical play and athleticism that comes with the college environment.

“I’m really focused and I want to improve my physicality,” Marwede said. “The ACC is one of the best conferences to play women’s soccer. You have some of the top forwards in the country, and I need to be as fast as I possibly can. So I’m working on that, my foot skills and trying to stay sharp in every area of my game.”

She says that Miami’s training atmosphere will bode well for her and the Miami squad when she joins in 2016.

“They really try to get their players to perform at a better level each day,” Marwede said. “Their training is super intense and they never stop moving, giving 100 percent. I fell in love with that program and loved the intensity.”