Colorado State University Athletics
Senior Profile: Maggie Sherman
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
By Craig Buchanan
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Hockey or soccer. For Colorado State senior Maggie Sherman, these were two sports that were monumental in her life. She grew up playing both, and loved what each had to offer. Coming out of high school, Sherman couldn’t decide which sport she wanted to pursue collegiately, and by the time that she had made up her mind to go with soccer, options had dried up.
After deciding on soccer, Sherman began talking to some coaches about possibilities of playing, but with it being so late in the process, she struggled to find anything substantial. With no Division I offers on the table, the Vail, Colo. native looked down the road to Colorado State.
At the time, Colorado State did not have a Division I program, but it did offer Sherman the ability to continue playing soccer.
“I came to CSU, and I knew it didn’t have an NCAA team,” Sherman said. “It did have a club team though, so at least I was still playing soccer.”
For two years, Sherman competed for Colorado State’s club soccer team. Near the end of her sophomore year, Sherman received notice that Colorado State would be adding a Division I soccer program. Sherman, along with the rest of her club teammates, received an email from Colorado State Head Coach Bill Hempen inviting them to an open tryout.
“I was the first to sign up,” Sherman said. “I wanted to be there the second I heard about it. I went to everything and asked questions just so that he (Hempen) would know who I was and would know my face.”
Sherman’s tactics paid off, as she was selected to join Colorado State’s Division I team. Despite not having any Division I experience, Sherman was immediately seen by her coaches and her peers as a leader on and off the field. Just one of the few upperclassmen on the roster, Sherman took it upon herself to make sure it was a smooth transition for all of the girls.
Not only was Sherman handling questions from all sides in relation to soccer, but she was also fielding questions from all of her teammates about the campus and where classes were.
“I was one of three girls at the time that had been at CSU for at least one year, so a lot of the girls didn’t know the campus,” Sherman said. “I kind of took the role of guiding people and helping everyone get around campus. I remember the first day was hectic because everyone was asking me where all the buildings were, so I was basically guiding everyone around which was fun.”
For Sherman, this was all part of the job. At all times, Sherman was focused on doing whatever it took to help the team out. There is no better example of that than during the preseason of Colorado State’s inaugural season when a goalkeeper ended up leaving the team.
With a void in the net, Sherman saw this an opportunity to do something to help her team. Sherman had originally tried out as a forward for the Rams, but had had previous experience playing goalie.
“I talked to Bill (Hempen) about the possibility of playing (goalie),” Sherman said. “I told him I had played goalie before, and he tested me out. After one of the games, he pulled me aside and told me I would be goalie from here on out. I said ‘great, when do I start?’”
Sherman ended up making 15 appearances in the net for the Rams in their first season, registering two shutouts. In her senior season, Sherman has continued to be an invaluable member of Colorado State’s program on and off the field, appearing in four matches and making one start.
An aspiring coach after graduation, Sherman has also helped usher in an entirely new group of freshmen and transfers into CSU, and sees the excitement in the program going forward.
“I’ve never been on a team where we’ve clicked so fast; that trip changed everything for us,” Sherman said of the team’s preseason trip to Steamboat Springs. “We had only been together for a few days, and then we were all in one house together all the time. We really got to know each other so quickly and so personally.”
It’s that connection that Sherman feels with each and every single one of her teammates that makes the end of her collegiate career a bittersweet moment.
“I’ve been thinking about it this week and how bizarre it is that this is the end,” Sherman said. “It’s a special feeling. There is a lot of sadness because I’m going to miss the girls and the atmosphere, but I’m proud of where I came from with my club experience and getting the chance to play at the highest collegiate level.”