Taken what's given to her: Rickard excels on the pitch

by Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

Stepping on the pitch, Niagara Wheatfield High School’s Marisa Rickard never felt the pressure to score, that sometimes comes with being a prolific scorer. Instead Rickard felt a calmness every time she stepped out there.

It’s probably because she knew she didn’t need to do it alone. If Rickard wasn't doing the scoring her teammates were there picking up the slack. That made it easier for to go out there and play her game, and play her game she did.

There wasn’t a time when Rickard wasn’t on the score sheet. There wasn’t a time she wasn’t out there dominating on the pitch.

“I don’t ever feel the pressure of having to score always when stepping onto the field because I know I have a team full of players who are more than capable of scoring, stated Rickard. “So I know if I don’t score that game more than likely another one of my teammates will or had scored.”

Over the years the game as slowed down for Rickard. In the past, she may have felt rushed to make a play, not anymore. Now, she is out there waiting for the game to come to her. She waits out the defender, and gets them to make the first move before she attacks.

It’s part of her maturation as a soccer player. Rickard’s soccer IQ is off the charts. That is one of the parts of her game she has continued to work on. Over time, Rickard knows when she needs to be aggressive or just drop back into position.

“In a way I do feel the game has slowed down for me. I don’t feel as rushed and panicked anymore as I previously did. I feel a lot more relaxed since I can quickly analyze the play around me in order to make the best play with the ball,” stated Rickard. “Having a good soccer IQ allows for me to make plays in the middle and distribute the ball to my teammates. It also helps me when playing through balls and knowing when I need to drop the ball back to make the smart play.”

Rickard is made for Niagara Wheatfield. The style of play the Falcons play suits her just fine. She plays in the attacking midfield role, which gives her the freedom to move up front to attack, and make plays.

It also allows her drop back and play defense when she is called upon. It’s suited for someone that can dominate the play of the game as soon as she steps on the pitch.

“Being an attacking midfielder for most of my time here was perfect for my style of play because I could help up top by creating plays while also being able to drop back when needed to help my defense,” stated Rickard. “I like being able to control the play when I can and a lot of that comes from being in the middle of the field, which is why attacking midfield was perfect.”

Make no mistake this is her team. A lot of players aren’t named a captain as a sophomore. Being an underclassmen, and a captain, is something that Rickard cherished as soon as she was named it two years ago,

It was something that she never took lightly, either. In the beginning it was more about leading by example. As a younger player, Rickard wanted to show everyone that she belonged on the pitch with everyone else.


As the years progressed, Rickard found her voice more, but she still let her play on the pitch do all the talking.

“I was captain of the varsity team as a sophomore, so that meant being a leader to this team at a younger age than usual. Over the years I have been able to lead this team as best as I could,” stated Rickard. “I wasn’t usually the voice of the captains at first but lead by example on the field and at practice. As the years continued and players graduated, I began to have the voice over action and control this team with not only action but my voice.”

It has been a great career for Rickard, one that started five years ago as an eighth grader. She has been through a lot with the team. She has scored a lot of goals, won a lot games, and reached a few milestones.

One of those milestones was scoring her 100th goal. When the ball finally reached the back of the net, pure excitement came over Rickard. It was a goal that she wanted to achieve ever since she put on the cleats for the first time.

“The moment the ball hit the back of the net, it all felt so surreal,” stated Rickard. “I was overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, but I was mostly excited knowing that I was able to accomplish a goal of mine that I have had since the beginning and being able to celebrate it with all of my teammates that had helped me achieve it was also a really good feeling.”

As her time comes to an end, Rickard has grown a lot as a player, and person. She has left Niagara Wheatfield a better soccer player than when she got there. She has made herself into an all-around player, and a great one, that sometimes gets unnoticed.

“Making myself an all around player by adding assists onto my goals helps me be a team player. I feel that soccer is a team sport and that it shouldn’t matter who scores as long as the job that needs to get done gets done,” stated Rickard. “Something I learned about myself while playing against better competitors is that I am competitive and don’t like to lose, so when someone keeps stopping me in a game, I know I have to work harder in practice to get better so I can eventually beat them.”