MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – What’s a local girl to do in the fall when she’s finished her final year of Division I soccer at West Virginia? Coaching is a good start.
Hailing from Fairchance, Pa., a small borough just 30 minutes north off of Route 43, Hannah Abraham isn’t shy to call herself a “hometown girl” when referring to Morgantown. The borough, which is home to less than 2,000 people, is part of the Albert Gallatin School District and is 15 minutes from the so-named high school in Uniontown. As per usual in rural America, athletes find their prominence through their high schools. Abraham, however, did not stick to the typical narrative and found her bearings through club soccer.
That wasn’t by her own decision, though. Albert Gallatin doesn’t have a girl’s soccer program – or any soccer program, for that matter.
So, what does someone who’s played soccer since 3 years old do when faced with this conundrum? It was an easy choice for Abraham – she just continued playing for Morgantown’s club organization.
The Mountaineer United Soccer Club’s teams have a laundry list of accomplishments, but as one scrolls down the list one team stands out among the others. The Shox, who have a combined 10 team titles in all age groups, is where Abraham found her groove.
“It was amazing playing club in Morgantown. There’s not a big pool of kids to choose from – most kids my age were pursuing a Division I career, so they switched teams a lot always seeking the best team,” Abraham said. “We had a core of 15 of us that stuck together from when we were 9 years old until we were out of high school. It helped having that team the whole time because we knew how to play together and were one of West Virginia’s most successful club teams to date.”
While playing with MUSC, Abraham was a six-year member of Region 1’s Olympic Development Program pool – which stretches from Maine to Virginia – as well as the U14 National Pool. One year before gracing Dick Dlesk Stadium, she was taking her talents international, winning bronze at the 2014 Kuban Spring Tournament in Sochi, Russia, as part of the U.S. Junior National Team.
“It was a rush to travel across the world. Not a lot of people go to Russia,” Abraham said, reflecting on her experience abroad. “It was when the Winter Olympics were there and there was a lot of violence. The security issues were in question, but we still went and played a lot of little countries’ national teams.
“It was cool to meet the girls from other countries and understand their lives and soccer experiences. It’s a lot different than ours.”
Another highlight of 2014 was playing for Nikki Goodenow – a former WVU assistant coach and that year’s Region 1 and West Virginia Soccer Association Girls Competitive Coach of the Year. In addition to working under Mountaineers’ coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, Goodenow also played for her.
“That was super cool to follow in her footsteps. It was a great experience,” Abraham said.
The Mountaineers, Nittany Lions and a sign
When the time came to choose her school, it seemed like an easy choice for Abraham. As easy as it may have been, Goodenow convinced her to test the Division I waters.
“Playing club in town, I was always around WVU’s team going to camps as a local kid. Then, when I started middle school, Izzo would joke ‘You’re going to be a Mountaineer one day,’ I guess because she saw potential,” she said. “Goodenow didn’t want to push me because she wanted me to have my own decision, but even in eighth grade or freshman year I had to begin the process. I kind of knew I wanted to come here because it was a dream knowing how successful they are. Also being a hometown girl, it was a dream. Goodenow made me visit another school so I wouldn’t put my eggs in one basket.
“I visited Penn State – a big rival for WVU. I remember being in a room and there were pictures of Penn State playing WVU, and I said, ‘Mom, look, West Virginia!’ I was like, ‘OK, I guess this is a sign,’ and I committed on the drive back home.”
With the stars aligned and her verbal commitment to WVU set, Abraham began the next leg of her soccer journey.
Her debut season saw her in 21 games, logging four goals and one assist. The team made it to their third-ever quarterfinals in the NCAA Tournament before being knocked out by the Nittany Lions. Then, in 2016, the Mountaineers exploded to top the national rankings, resting in the No. 1 spot for eight weeks.
“The energy among the team was interesting. It was only my second year, but we had success that the program has never felt before,” Abraham said. “Then the next year, it was like ‘We just want to win that Elite 8 game since we lost freshman year.’
“We also had energy about us being ranked No. 1 throughout the season, but we didn’t think ‘Oh, we’re going to make it to the final,’ but it was fun with all of the buzz around us. We kind of just expected to win – losing wasn’t an option that year.”
Toppling programs that produce U.S. National Team athletes in North Carolina and UCLA, the Mountaineers’ chance to win their first ever national title fell short with a 1-3 loss in San Jose, Calif., to USC.
“You respect those teams a lot, and you know that they’re talented, but being a competitor you have to look past that. It makes winning and beating them in an individual battle that much more sweet. It also makes you proud being on the same level as they are in that moment – it’s a humbling experience,” Abraham said.
Joining the Hawks’ nest
Now, since graduating after a successful senior stanza, Abraham is taking over the assistant coaching reigns at University High School. She will be working under Hawks’ head coach Graham Peace, someone she has a deep history with.
“Graham raised (our club team). He had us from 9 to 13 or 14 years old, and then he became the assistant when Nikki took over,” she said. “Graham was a big factor (to begin coaching). He’s like a second dad to me, so he was not shy probing me nonstop to come coach with him.
“Kat Devlin had a child, so she couldn’t coach anymore, and he wanted someone with experience alongside him to help him out. It’s almost full circle for me – he raised me in the game, so I’ll come back and share my experiences with the girls,” Abraham continued. “At first I said, ‘No, Graham, I don’t have time for that,’ but after considering it I really had no reason not to do it. It’s his passion. He loves it, so he’s ready to go and makes it easy for me. He has no problem with me missing for school and my graduate assistant job.”
Her coaching experience in college is minimal – opting to do individual sessions as opposed to large-scale classes. With the demands of being a Division I athlete and top-tier student, Abraham never considered the coaching path. With graduate school in full swing, she’s had time to give thought to the idea.
“Now that I’m not playing soccer, I’m missing that piece. I miss the game. It’s rewarding because I feel like I’m giving back and sharing experiences that local kids that want to get better strive for. I’m definitely super happy to be coaching next to Graham – I feel like I owe it to the community to give back,” she said.
Already garnering high praises from Peace, Abraham is on track to find her place among the Hawks. A formidable forward, she balances out Peace’s defense-minded tactics.
“Graham understands the backline more than I do. He’s super focused on them and trying to rebuild it since we lost people. I don’t see those things – I’m totally attacking-minded. We really mesh well because of that,” she said.
Her youth also brings a lot to the table for UHS, among other things.
“I think that it seems like the girls listen to what I have to say more since I’m so fresh out of the college game,” she said. “It helps that I can demo things and play with them. If we’re telling them to work hard and they don’t understand what that means, I can jump in and show them. Having a girl around helps, because if you’re a grown man you don’t understand what they’re going through and stuff they do outside of soccer.”
“I’m trying to figure out the boundaries, making sure they respect me and not being their friend,” she continued. “How to best motivate and coach, and get through to each player because everyone takes things differently or needs different things from me, too.”
Although she’s a new, young face around the girls, there are certain aspects of high school soccer that Abraham has to get used to again.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been around high school girls, so it was an adjustment listening to what they talk about,” she said laughing.
After the summer three-week practices, The Dominion Post reported that the Hawks are in a rebuilding phase after an end to the 2018 season in sectionals. With star forward Ari Christiansen gone, University has to find another path to see the Class AAA State Tournament again. Abraham isn’t concerned about that though – she sees her new team in a different light that only a coach can.
“They all seem super gung-ho and ready to go, and I think that they’re totally taking the underdog identity and running with it,” she said. “I think they’re happy to have it, because it makes us more cohesive and more like a team since we don’t have one star player. We’re all studs and we’re all going to work hard and together. I think that’s a good thing to have in a team – everyone on the same level with the same mindset and goals.”
