Westminster women’s soccer player Brooke Horvath entered the week second the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in scoring. She had nine goals and eight assists (26 points) for the Titans, who sat atop the PAC at 6-0-0.
Not bad for a freshman who nearly gave up on soccer.
Horvath, a Franklin Regional grad, had been involved in the sport from age 3, but she took a year off from her club team in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. After the layoff, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back.
“It was tough giving it up, but I got to the point where I didn’t want to put myself through something I didn’t enjoy anymore,” she said.
So sports weren’t really on her mind when she made the decision to go to Westminster. It was an easy decision, really. Her older sister, Baylee, was going to be a junior there — she was a member of the Titans women’s golf team — and a couple of her cousins attended.
Her parents, however, encouraged her to get involved in a sport as a way to make friends in her new surroundings. Horvath, like her sister, had been a standout golfer for the Panthers, so she considered that as a possibility. But she wanted to do her own thing.
“My sister golfs here, and I’m already coming to the same school as her,” she said.
About this time, she was giving club soccer another try. Suddenly, her zest for the game was rekindled, and she decided to talk with Titans soccer coach Girish Thakar about a spot on the team.
“It was the falling back in love with it,” Horvath said. “I started playing (club) again, and I wouldn’t be coming back week after week after week if I didn’t love it.”
At first, Horvath figured getting involved with the Westminster soccer team would be just a nice social outlet and something to have fun with. Things turned serious quickly.
She scored two goals and assisted on the other in the Titans’ season-opening 3-0 win over John Carroll. Horvath hasn’t let up since, earning PAC Rookie of the Week three times and Offensive Player of the Week once.
“She has speed, and her speed is a little bit deceptive,” Thakar said. “It’s not straight-on speed. It’s more lateral, which really makes a big difference.
“And then I would say something that’s innate is the confidence of a player to try to do things. She’s that type of player.”
Horvath said she always has been an offensive-minded player. Whether scoring herself or setting up a teammate with a pass, she is willing to do, as she puts it, “anything that puts the ball in the back of the net.”
As well as she has done, being only a freshman, she is far from a finished product. Thakar said they are working on being more consistent in terms of shots-to-goals ratio. In other words: scoring more on fewer chances, because when the postseason rolls around, he said, Horvath and the Titans’ other scorers might not get as many good looks at goal.
Piling up goals and assists has been nice, but Horvath said she has enjoyed the winning even more. That is the only stat she values.
“I kind of really had no expectations coming into college,” Horvath said. “I just played how I knew how to play, and here I am.
“Girish always tells us to be brave, and I’m not afraid to take someone on one on one because I have a lot of assists on the season, not just goals. If I can contribute in any way possible … anything that contributes to our team so we can win.”