Soccer (W) 10/11/2023 1:00:00 PM Nashra Syed

It takes a little bit of crazy to be a goalie: Alannah Musolino's soccer journey

She was three years old when it first started. When she first kicked a soccer ball, running up and down the field. When she first felt the adrenaline rush through her body. When she first fell in love with the sport. Now 20 years later, TMU Bold women's soccer goalkeeper, Alannah Musolino, reflects on how soccer has shaped her into the person she is today.

"Soccer's kind of been in my family for a while. My older brother played, my dad coached, so we've been very involved for a long time," said the Bold goalkeeper. "I started with Vaughan soccer club when I was three years old. And I've been playing for 20 years, I've played my whole life. And it's something that I love. And it's something that it just, it's always been there for me like it's never left my side," added Musolino.

Soccer runs in the Musolino family. Her dad was a coach and her older brother had played soccer, so it was natural for her to join in too.

Growing up in Vaughan, Ont., Musolino felt integrated in the community both on and off the field.

"Everybody you know; you see on the street, you walk beside in the grocery store, you know them somehow, some way through the soccer community and so crazy that soccer is as big as the world [we] live in. It's such a small world," added Musolino.

Musolino found her place on the field. She played on the offensive side first but at the age of 12 when her team needed a goalie, she was ready to step up into the position.

"So that was a weird transition for me. Everyone says it takes a little bit of crazy to be a goalie, which I totally agree," she said. "But I was playing up as a winger, as a striker when I was young. And then there was just a point where we needed a goalie, and I just happened to be good at it. It just kind of came naturally to me. And I just did my thing and it just kind of stuck," Musolino added.

From being comfortable with her Vaughan club to making the jump to play at the university level at TMU, Musolino had been in contact with the Bold's coaches since high school.

"At the time, staying home felt right for me. I had the opportunity to leave and go State side, I just, with everything going on in life, and just academically, I was like, I really do enjoy what this program is offering. So it's kind of a no brainer," she said.

Musolino knew that she needed to work her way up and with the support of the coaches, staff, her team members, and her family, she has been able to become one of the top goalkeepers for the program.

"I knew my role wasn't going to be the starting keeper in my first year. Absolutely not. But I knew it was something I could work towards, and something I could achieve. So that's what I did. I decided to stay, and I just have been here ever since," added Musolino.

Three TMU soccer players pose in front of a white back drop. — *^{Musolino (middle) with her 2023 goalkeeper teammates. Credit: Josh Kim.}*

Graduating with an Honours Bachelors in Criminology in 2023 and currently pursuing a certificate in Human Resources Management, this year marks Musolino's fifth season playing with the TMU Bold. She's become a veteran player who's part of the program's history.

Musolino was part of the 2019 squad, where they won their first playoff game after battling the Nipissing Lakers in a 3-0 penalty shootout.

"I've been a part of a lot of the history, a lot of like, big breaks here. We've made a lot of history in the last five years," said Musolino.

"I'm a senior, I'm a vet, I know how it goes. Like now with the rookies incoming, it's almost like that mom mentality where it's like, I feel a need to take care of the rookies and make sure they're good and give them advice and tell them they're doing great. I had that myself so I need [to and] want to give back," the senior added.

Alannah Musolino poses with her family holding a framed photo after a senior night ceremony. — *^{Musolino poses with her family after her senior night ceremony in 2022. Credit: Josh Kim.}*

Whether she's on the field or on campus, soccer is more than just a sport to Musolino. The game has helped her become part of something bigger than herself, turning teammates into friends, and friends into family.

"For me, specifically, I think soccer taught me who I am, you know, it built my character a lot. It taught me how to work as a team. It just gave me life skills that I never would have expected from it. I've made friends over the years that I've known since I was eight years old, and I've played soccer with my whole life and I'm still friends with to this day."

With three games left in what may be her last season with the Bold, Musolino knows what she wants to leave in her legacy.

"I want to leave knowing I left my mark. I want to leave knowing that the girls younger than me can come to me and be like, 'Hey, I'm struggling with this, can you give me some advice.' And I want to leave here knowing that I made an impact and I was a support system on the team. I was someone that put in the work and I was someone that was dedicated," said Musolino.

Musolino doesn't know exactly what the future holds for her and she's okay with leaving her career as an athlete at TMU.

"As much as I love the sport and as much as I want it to be a part of my life forever, I think that, being completely honest, at this point I know that this is where I leave it…But currently, I know that I have other goals for myself, so I'm okay letting go if I need to," Musolino said.

Regardless of what happens next and where she'll be, Musolino knows that no matter what, soccer will always be part of her.

"Life is gonna life…I've definitely had my character tested a lot and I've had to be resilient a lot of moments. So I definitely think that for anyone that ends up reading this or anyone that ends up going through what I've been through, you just have to keep putting in the work and keep your head up and things will happen for you."

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Players Mentioned

#25 Alannah Musolino: GK; 5' 6"; 5

Players Mentioned

#25 Alannah Musolino
: 5' 6"; 5
: GK

Players Mentioned

#25 Alannah Musolino

Players Mentioned

#25 Alannah Musolino