NRHS rising senior among team’s captains this fall

By Chris Villani

Mia Herron has known she wanted to be a goalkeeper since she was 10 years old. 

“I think I just loved being the last person standing and having it be up to me,” the Nipmuc rising senior said. “I was always really independent as a kid, and I think it’s cool to be the last person there in front of the goal.” Plus, she added, “It’s fun to just dive around.”

Herron will be a captain for Nipmuc this fall and help lead a team that captured the Central Mass tournament last season and advanced to the round of eight in the statewide playoffs. Herron said she is excited to see what her team can do this year.

“I think we have a really good group of players,” she said. “The freshman class that came in a couple of years ago and are juniors now, a bunch of them were on varsity right away. I am excited to see the leadership they take on.”

Herron’s leadership figures to be important to Nipmuc this year as the team looks to advance deeper into the tournament and defend its Central Mass title. Herron has been a part of the last two district tournament-winning teams, and the overtime win over Auburn during her sophomore year is one of her biggest highlights in high school so far.

“That was a great game,” she said. “The seniors we had that year, it was great to see that for them.”

Herron has also experienced the lows, including a penalty kick loss to Dover-Sherborn during last year’s round of eight.

“That was something that was super heartbreaking for us,” she said. “We had gotten farther than we had in a long time. I think we all learned a lot from that.” 

The loss stung at the time, but Herron said she and her teammates plan to use it as motivation for this fall.

“We all know how hard we really have to work,” she said. “Personally, I am super self-driven, and I know how much work I have to do.”

Herron said her role as a captain has been challenging, but she has been able to rely on her mental growth. She said the coaching staff has done a good job helping her and her teammates stay mentally strong.

Wins are important, but Herron said that her focus as a captain is also leading a team that is tight knit.

“We have a very close group of players,” she said. “I want to make sure that we are all there for each other.”