Colorado University Athletics
Massey Enjoying Breakout Junior Season
September 28, 2017 | Soccer
BOULDER — Already with one goal and four assists to her name this season, including two in a recent win over Denver, it's safe to say Colorado's Megan Massey is ready for a memorable junior campaign following some blanks in her statistics sheet from 2016.
There are, however, some notable caveats to Massey's statistics from her first fall in Boulder. While she did not have a goal or assist on just 15 shots last season, the three most important statistics to both Massey and the team's success last year reside on the far left side of her sheet.
Games Played: 22
Games Started: 22
Minutes: 1,416
For any mathletes out there, that's an average of about 64 minutes a game for an entire season while starting every game, a feat accomplished by just five other Buffs teammates. To truly appreciate Massey's play last season, it would have had to have been seen in person.
Now, after a full season of experience in Boulder, Massey is poised to become a key contributor in leading her native Buffs to their goals of a Pac-12 title and another NCAA appearance. The irony? If you were to tell Massey just two years ago that she would be leading her squad towards another deep postseason run, she would have envisioned herself streaking down the field … in orange and white.
A 2015 graduate of Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, Massey boasted one of the more impressive high school sports résumés, including being named the Colorado State Player of the Year and an NSCAA first-team All-American as a senior. But instead of staying close to home for the next level, Massey initially decided to go a different direction to play her college ball — all the way to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
"I just wanted to leave Colorado because I'd been here for awhile, that's one of the main reasons I didn't go to Boulder in the first place," Massey said. "It did come down to Tennessee and Colorado when I was first deciding, and clearly I made the wrong choice."
Massey played in just 13 matches for the Vols that fall, averaging 23 minutes a contest, taking just five fewer shots (10) than she took in her 1,400-minute sophomore showing last season.
"I really enjoyed the school at Tennessee, and I loved my team there, some really cool girls where I made some great friends," Massey said. "It just wasn't what I was expecting soccer wise. I was expecting a lot more out of my experience there and I didn't get everything that I was looking for."
Deciding that one year was a sufficient amount of exploration time, Massey chose to transfer back home following her freshman season, electing to finally don the black and gold that so many had always envisioned her wearing.
The Buffs could have used Massey's services her freshman season. A last place finish in the Pac-12 (1-8-2) in 2015 left the Buffs with not many places to look but up going into 2016. Massey was given plenty of immediate opportunities to earn playing time upon arriving in Boulder.
"I really enjoyed it. It definitely built my confidence up a lot because I lost some going to Tennessee because of how little I was playing," Massey said. "I really felt like I just meshed well with this team, and I think it shows on the field."
Coming off their disappointing 2015 season, the Buffs took the field in 2016 with two new weapons in the midfield in Massey and incoming freshman Taylor Kornieck, two players head coach Danny Sanchez was counting upon. While it was the first season in Boulder for both, the ball movement on the right side of the field would be determined by Sanchez's new additions.
"We lost some very good players (from 2015), even though it wasn't a great season, so having those two players coming in was a key to our (2016) season," Sanchez said. "Megan did a lot of work for us defensively and having Taylor be able to play both ways was key."
The results would not disappoint, as their additions played integral roles in the Buffs' transformation from a one-conference-win team to an NCAA-caliber team (15-6-1) last fall. Along the way, Massey tallied an 89-minute odyssey in a 3-2 overtime win over No. 10 Cal in Berkeley last October, with Kornieck putting away the game-winning goal in the 110th minute.
"Taylor and I play really well together, we're really great friends off the field and I think it definitely shows on the field," Massey said. "We definitely like to combine with each other and set each other up to do great things on the field."
What Massey lacks in the traditional statistics column, she atones for with a consistent, complementary playing style that is essential for the Buffs to function.
Example: If "Marking Jessie Fleming" (UCLA's sophomore All-American Midfielder) were a statistic, Massey would be among the conference leaders. Massey held Fleming to just one shot in both last year's contest and last Friday's 2-0 Bruins win in Boulder.
Performances like last year's against Cal and UCLA are Massey's bread and butter. Her niche of being the behind-the-scenes workhorse has been pivotal, especially this season with a triad of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
"Marty (Puketapu) and Taylor do a great job scoring, along with Tatum Barton," Massey said. "Outside mid is tough. You're expected to defend and attack at the same time. It's tough to get back and move forward all at the same time, so having a few goals is just a really great accomplishment at that position."
Puketapu, Kornieck, and Barton have certainly locked down the scoring aspect, as they have accounted for 13 of the 19 goals so far in 2017.
Despite this consistent playmaking, Massey and her coaches still have high expectations for her offensive game this season.
"(Assistant Coach) Jason (Green) actually told me my goal is five goals this year, and I'm at one right now with four assists, which is already a lot better than last year so I'm happy about that," Massey said. "As for team-wise, we all want a Pac-12 championship, but we know we can't just say that, we know it will be hard to make it to the NCAA Tournament and get to the Sweet 16 finally."
Fortunately for Massey, she has access to an extremely valuable resource who knows a thing or two about possessing an offensive mind. Her self-described "best friend" Mallory Pugh, another Highlands Ranch native, plays professionally for the Washington Spirit and is beginning to see meaningful time for the U.S. Women's National Team. Pugh had two two goals in the USWNT's most recent friendly versus New Zealand in a nationally televised contest.
"I really respect Mal as a player and love her as a person," Massey said. "I definitely always look up to her."
Sanchez believes Massey is primed for a breakout season that should elevate her game to the next level.
"It took some time for her to get acclimated transferring in from Tennessee, but she has quality going forward," Sanchez said. "She's done a better job of pushing it in the attack, which is what we want from her, and I still think her best soccer is head of her at CU."
CU plays at Washington State tonight. That match will be televised at 6:30 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Mountain.
