Maylee Attin-Johnson does not lack in confidence. As a member of the T&T’s 18 and Under national team, she’s seen soccer at a high level.
Attin-Johnson, a former student at St Agnes Anglican school in St James and Diego Martin Government Secondary took that confidence and a whole lot of game to American college Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg this season.
As soon as she stepped onto the soccer field in the fall with the boys’ team, Attin-Johnson had an inkling of what kind of spring she could have with the girls’ squad.
“They told me I’d score a lot, a lot of goals,” said Attin-Johnson of the boys’ team at Notre Dame. “I knew from the boys I’d score a lot of goals.”
Indeed she did, Attin-Johnson scored a school-record 43 goals and added 10 assists in a flashy one-year career for Notre Dame.
Even on a team filled with freshmen and sophomores, Johnson helped carry the Spartans to a 15-6 record and a berth in the District 11 play-offs.
“I knew I had a legitimate goal scorer, but did I have a leader? She was a friend to them, inspiring them to do things,” said Notre Dame coach Anthony Creece of Attin-Johnson.
“They fed off her. I think the girls learned a lot in general. Hopefully it’ll help us for next season.”
One visit to Mary Street Field would display Attin-Johnson’s talents, which feature impressive ball handling skills and a knack for finding the net.
But there were still critics in the county, who would rather label Notre Dame a one-person squad.
“We did have a team,” Creece said. “They didn’t have that play-off experience. In the playoffs against the more veteran teams you could see them folding. We went 15-6. It exceeded my expectations.”
Things didn’t start out so smoothly for Attin-Johnson, who began the season in the midfield. She got caught in the beginning of the season deciding when to take over and when to pass the ball.
“The funny thing is there were many times she was playing when she could score and she’d pass the ball,” Creece said. “She had to realise she had to do something on her own. She was more of a midfielder in the beginning. She realised she had to take charge a little bit. I told her, ‘You’re being unselfish, sometimes you have to things on your own.”
Attin-Johnson averaged about a goal a game through the first five games before breaking through with a four-goal effort against Pen Argyl.
From there on out, the former Cocorite resident was tough to contain unless the Notre Dame star was marked by several players.
Freshman Sam Kramer was the beneficiary on those days and ended up finishing the season with 19 goals.
“People say we’re a one-girl type of team,” Creece said. “I had Sam who scored about 20 goals. She’s lost in the shuffle. She wasn’t just scoring scrap goals. I had games where Sam scored three goals. Sam deserves a lot of credit. She had a great freshman year, the best freshman year ever of one of my teams.”
Kramer is just an example of how Attin-Johnson’s team-mates had a learning curve as well, improving their play as the season progressed.
In the beginning they just watched Johnson. In the end they worked with their talented team-mate.
“These girls I love every bit playing with them,” Attin-Johnson said. “It was really fun. We had almost all freshmen and sophomores. We showed we could play. I’m proud of each of them.”
Johnson’s career is not over in East Stroudsburg.
Despite receiving interest from Binghamton, Providence and Rutgers, Johnson will play at East Stroudsburg University in the fall. The fact that coach Derek Arneaud is from T&T surely played in her decision.
“I think with coach Arneaud being from her country it’ll be good for her,” said Creece.
“She knows him of course. She’s a young girl. I think she still needs some guidance, she needs somebody around her who can understand her.”
In one of the matches, she put on a show and Notre Dame won 2-0.
Johnson tested the opposing goalkeeper Emilia Zabaldo several times – scoring twice – but Zabaldo turned away the Spartan senior on a few solid saves.
Johnson deposited two first-half goals and that was enough to take out Stroudsburg. The first came at 22nd minute when Johnson got a foot on a pass from Kate Chambers in a crowd at the 18-yard line.
Johnson took a long Chambers’ floating pass from midfield, and redirected it into net for a 1-0 lead.
Zabaldo responded with two huge saves. Johnson was fed the ball 10 yards from the goal and blasted a shot that Zabaldo knocked down.
With three minutes left in the first half Johnson blew past a defender, but ran into a sprawled out Zabaldo, who grabbed the ball out from under Johnson.
Johnson showed her patience on her second goal of the night when she dribbled through two defenders, caught Zabaldo leaning to her left and touched a shot into the left-hand corner of the net for her 42nd goal of the year.
“I was so proud today. I have so much confidence in my team-mates. They all stepped up,” said Johnson. “There’s no words to describe how happy I am with the team. I just hope we can play harder in districts.”
Stroudsburg coach Jay Effross said there wasn’t much else his girls could do to stop Johnson.
“Our girls did a very nice job, the first goal was an own goal and the second one was a good bounce for them,” said Effross.