Nela

The first player I will write about is Nela. Angelika Johansson aka Nela brought her talents from Sweden to the United States and Franklin Pierce University, the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues and finally UCONN.

Nela is one of the players I was closest too while at UCONN and I think there are two big reasons for that. We had actually met before she had gotten to UCONN. I met her as an intern with Franklin Pierce. I had no idea how close I would be with her when I first met her.

The first time I saw Nela was when she came back to Franklin Pierce. I had written several press releases on her and her success with Hudson Valley. She was the 2009 W-League MVP and I updated Franklin Pierce and their media contacts with press releases on her progress.

The first press release I ever wrote was on Nela. I also wrote a piece that was put on New Hampshire's WMUR website. (WMUR is famous for the primary debates they host) Since I had stuff put in those papers I had copies of my work on Nela framed and they are up in my house. I am glad I can say I actually met the player and even got lessons from her.

For most of that summer in the W-League Nela actually outscored all of UCONN's W-League and WPSL players. Nela walked in to the office I took over when my boss moved on to another job. She was with Cindy the trainer. I introduced myself to Nela and told her how I was following her. I could tell right away that she was really nice.

I also ran into Nela at her compliance meeting with her team at Franklin Pierce. I wished her good luck for the 2009 season and told her that I would say hello to her old Hudson Valley teammate Brittany Taylor. I figured this would be the last interaction I had with Nela, the person I wrote my first press release on.

I was wrong. Nela ended up transferring and of all places ended up at UCONN. This is when we got close. Nela and I were both graduate students, and like her I was familiar with Franklin Pierce. These unique common ties really fostered the friendship I developed with Nela. We both knew what it was like to be graduate students and what it was like at Franklin Pierce.

Nela and I were usually the first people to eat breakfast during preseason so the two of us would often sit and eat together at South. Usually I give the players distance and don't sit with them, but I think it was just natural for us to sit together and eat.

Nela's first goal against Central Connecticut was very special to me. I was so happy to see her validate her career at the Division I level. Division II athletes don't garner as much respect as they should. I remember going to a WPSL game and telling the parents there that Nela was joining the team because Franklin Pierce had told me she was. I told them that Nela was an All-American who lead Division II, the entire country, in goals scored in 2008. I believe she had 29 goals. Anyway one of the parents said something to the effect of "well it's only Division II that she did that in, who knows what she can do at Division I." I'm glad Nela got the respect she deserved for her work at Division II, because of the success she found at Division I.

Nela was never the most technical player, and she freely admits that. She also works to improve her technical skill daily. However, despite this shortcoming, I think she may have been one of the most effective players to ever play since I have watched the team. Before Nela became a starter I was hoping she would become one. I remember telling someone that I thought Nela should start. They said I was crazy, and then Nela proved me right by leading the team in goals scored. Nela was always in the right place at the right time and had a knack for scoring goals off of every body part.

I remember her scoring one off of her thigh against DePaul only to have had it called back due to an offsides. (I don't believe it was an offsides..I think it was a bad call). Her second goal at Syracuse last year on a header was amazing. Shoey placed a perfect cross that Nela headed out of the goalkeepers grasp and into the goal. It was a beautiful goal and was one of the few times I saw coach raise his hands in exuberance over a goal. Nela's goal vs Syracuse was one of my favorites from my time at UCONN. I also liked Nela's goal against Seton Hall with a pass from Shoey too. Nela made a great run and Shoey delivered a great rolling pass that Nela put into the back of the net. Nela was a post away from having a hat trick against Seton Hall that day.

Nela was also just another half a foot away from beating Virginia in overtime at Penn State. Nela and the UVA keeper collided around the 18 yard box I guess. Nela got enough of the ball to send it towards goal. It slowly rolled towards the net until a UVA player cleared it away at the last second. Nela was very close to beating Virginia.

The most phenomenal save I saw all season in 2010 was by West Virginia's Kerri Butler against Nela at West Virginia in the regular season. Nela headed the ball towards the goal line and the Mountaineer keeper made one amazing diving save to rob Nela. It is the best save I have seen an opposing keeper make against a UCONN player. I also felt that Kerri Butler was robbed of goalkeeper of the year for 2010.

Nela scored the most goals in conference play by any UCONN player since Kristen Graczyk in 2003. When Nela was in the game I always felt that we were going to score. I really always felt that. Always. Nela is a goal scorer.

I am extremely annoyed at the BIG EAST Conference and the coaches who voted that they did not select Nela to a BIG EAST team, or even name her to the BIG EAST honor roll or BIG EAST Player of the Week. As the third leading goal scorer in conference play she deserved recognition. Nela doesn't care about those awards, but I do. I don't know that people will ever appreciate just how good Nela was at scoring goals, which is quite frankly the name of the game.

Nela had 75% of her shots on frame. Extremely impressed by that.

What I liked best about Nela is her willingness to play soccer with me and teach me a few things. Today, for the final time, the two of us played soccer inside in the Blue Gym. She has helped my pathetic skills grow to less pathetic. Today we worked on heading the ball. She has certainly helped improve my first touch drastically. She also improved my ability to take a ball off of my thigh and then one touch it. Nela taught me so much about soccer and only her and I may ever know how much we progressed.

I also made sure Nela experienced some of the great things about college in the US. She went to watch the Men's Basketball National Championship game in Gampel. I also made sure she got the chance to experience a men's and women's basketball game at UCONN. She was a big Women's fan at Franklin Pierce.

Nela is a phenomenal person and an extremely hard worker. I believe she said her parents own a family business in Sweden so that they are constantly working. Nela is extremely nice and was open to playing soccer and spending time with anyone and everyone. She didn't care if someone was an athlete or not. Nela was also even more remarkably a 4.0 Graduate Student Athlete in Mathematics. She even was a teaching assistant with a class this past semester.

All in all I will deeply miss Nela. She is a wonderful person who I plan to stay in touch with. I know that if I travel to Sweden that I will see her and she told me I will be taken care of should I go. I really hope to be able to watch her play as a professional there. She will become one, but it would mean a lot to me to see her play.

So my first player profile of a former player is done. It's fitting that it's about Nela.