Mackenzie Bennett, a biology major from Maine-Endwell, New York, has been a three-year women’s soccer player at Marywood, missing her freshman season after tearing her ACL for the second time. She’s spent 18 years playing soccer and credits her mother for cultivating her passion for the sport.

“My mom played at Canisius and they were D1 and so she was pretty into soccer,” Bennett said.

As her senior season wraps up, Bennett looks back at a few of her favorite memories from her time at Marywood, both on and off the field.

“At one-point last year, the whole soccer team had British accents for like three months as a joke,” Bennett said. “Last year we went undefeated and were the one-seed going into playoffs, so everyone was really, really excited about that.”

Despite being the one-seed last season, the Pacers suffered a heartbreaking loss. Bennett said she and the other team members are using the loss as motivation for this season.

“We lost in penalty kicks in the championship last year, so this is like our redemption year,” Bennett said. “I think everyone’s really locked into that mindset.”

Bennett has quite the resume from her time as a Pacer. During her sophomore season, she was nominated Newcomer of the Year by teammates, along with being a part of the Atlantic East All-Academic Team. In her junior year, she tallied more awards, including First Team All-Atlantic East as well as receiving the United Soccer Coaches Player of Distinction Award, earning a co-winner share of the Marywood Coaches’ Award and making the Atlantic East Academic Honor Roll.

All of Bennett’s hard work and dedication led to her being named one of the captains for the Pacers.

“I was kind of surprised my coach asked me, because I’m not the kind of person who gives speeches and is loud all the time,” Bennett said. “But, I think that he saw I could be a leader through my actions rather than what I’m saying.”

As the Pacers are nearing the midway point of their season, Bennett reflected on what she’ll miss most.

“I think the thing I’m going to miss most is the team environment,” Bennett said. “I love that we get to do everything together. Everyone’s so close, we hang out all the time, so I’m definitely going to miss being part of a really close team like that,” Bennett said.

Bennett is applying to numerous medical schools to continue her studies. She said she will use her strong work ethic and leadership from on the field and in the classroom to continue to find success in her future.

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