Ella Becket ’25 | Abby Schwartz ’25
Maya Naimoli ‘23 is characterized by her hard work, grit, and goalie prowess on the field. Naimoli started playing soccer when she was four years old. She continued to play throughout Middle School on club teams and the Olympic Development Program, where she competed in places like Spain, Iceland, and Costa Rica. She then went on to play on the varsity team for all four years of high school. As a freshman, Naimoli played forward, and was the team’s leading scorer. She now plays as a goalie, leading the defensive end of the Girls’ Varsity soccer team from the net. As a junior, Naimoli committed to Ohio State University to continue her athletic and academic career.
Naimoli commands the field from her position with the help of her co-captain Chelsea Swei ‘23. Reflecting on Naimoli’s leadership on and off the field, Swei remarks, “As co-captains, I feel like we complement each other very well. While she leads in the net and organizes the back line, I can focus on organizing the midfield and offense. Maya is a great leader with a high soccer IQ who knows what it takes to lead our team to victory. Our goal was to create an environment where we can have fun and get better and I feel like we have accomplished that.”
Photo courtesy of Maya Naimoli ’23
Swei’s lauding words resonate with the team’s 8-1-1 Inter-Ac record. Other members of the team feel the same way, such as Kate Smith ‘23, who explains that “Maya is like the backbone of our team, and we can always count on her to save the day with an outstanding save.” Naimoli is not only known for her great stops in the goal, but her leadership and communication with the defensive line, all of which has contributed to her total of seven shutouts.
Naimoli is always focused on team spirit and speaks at every huddle before the team takes the field. She spends these crucial few minutes hyping the group up and ensuring they understand the challenges ahead. Her passion for the sport is unmatched, as Girls Soccer Head Coach Andy Fraggos describes, “It’s pretty obvious that Maya’s an elite level goalkeeper, but what’s most impressive are the things we don’t get to see first hand on the field. We don’t see the amount of additional field time, individual training time, goal setting, and film study that she does on her own, and all of that in addition to the practices she has for high school and club. You only dedicate that much time to mastering your craft when you truly love it.”
The EA girls’ varsity soccer team is a close-knit team, due in no small part to Maya’s leadership. Naimoli explains, “EAGVS is so special to me. The environment of the team is one of a kind. I look forward to practice every day. Despite the stress of school and soccer, training with this team and especially the goalkeepers, Faith Leake and Lauren Creamer, along with Coach Hoopes, has reminded me of why I love the sport.”