Olivia Ranciato actually began her time with sports in an entity that is quite the polar opposite of her current athletic occupation. Yet she has displayed her great athleticism and tenacity to vault herself to the starting lineup as a young upstart for the North Haven girls’ soccer team.

Olivia actually grew up in a gymnasium to start out her sporting career by being a gymnast most of her upbringing. Around fourth grade, she started to move her way to the pitch and never stopped from that moment. Olivia’s time and dedication have led to her assuming the spotlight as a strong sophomore and starting forward/striker for the 7-5-1 Nighthawks this season, as she leads the team with five goals on the year.

“I love how much of a team sport soccer is because with gymnastics, I was alone with my own score. In gymnastics, you are performing alone, in soccer, you are all working towards one common goal,” says Olivia. “[Head Coach Gary Collins] has been a big help to my success. He was a club coach for me, and he has really pushed me to be my best. He goes above and beyond to make sure I am at my best.”

Of course given her position, Olivia always strives to put the ball out of the keeper’s grasp. But there are also times when she is called upon to display her prowess in other avenues of the game. Regardless of what end of the field she plays on, she is always in an atmosphere that showcases synergy.

“As a striker, the goal is to score goals. Yet on the defensive side of the position, it is hard because you have to find that balance,” Olivia says. “There is pressure because if you have a let down, it is like you let the whole team down. But I like being involved in every play, plus I also enjoy how I am not alone out there and working with my teammates.”

Through the reps she has seen on the turf, Olivia has begun to realize that nothing is insurmountable when it comes to a task at hand. It just takes a minute to slow things down in the mind in order to move ahead honestly and accurately with her legs.

“My growth in my confidence has helped me a lot,” says Olivia. “I was not as confident in myself as I am currently. As I have grown, I have realized my potential and what I am capable of. I think having a good mindset has helped me. When things get tough, I reset, take a deep breath, and I work on making new moments to make up for it during the rest of the game.”

Furthermore, Olivia knows that she is now a veteran of the varsity scene. She may have taken her licks in getting acclimated to the intensity of the high school competition, but with the backing of her fellow Nighthawks, she has taken flight.

“I think another thing that has helped me is just realizing that I am no longer a freshman underclassman,” says Olivia. “And now I have an added year of experience to help me. It was a big challenge at first to fit into varsity with the aggressive style and the level of physical play. The team has also helped build up my confidence, and I know they have my back through mistakes.”

Olivia notes that she certainly has untapped potential in instances where she is in isolation with an opposing defender, and she focuses on being adept at utilizing her field vision while taking on passes from all angles and trajectories.

“I can improve on taking people on in 1-v-1 scenarios. My coach tells me to do that, even though I usually like to pass the ball,” Olivia says. “I have gotten better at making plays and seeing my teammates on the field. I have also gotten better at playing more sophisticated balls through the defense.”

Collins explains that as the squad’s head coach, he knew the girls needed a dependable point producer, as well as someone who could be well-rounded in all phases of the game. Olivia was the perfect player to hit every item on that wish list, in his view.

“Coming into the season, we knew we had to find not just a goal scorer, but a player willing to put in the necessary work in practices and prepare herself for a tough season. Olivia is that player,” says Collins. “Her work rates have been very good and consistent all season. She's playing with a lot of confidence and trusting in her abilities. She's very coachable and continues to get better. Olivia has improved a lot in her technical skills, along with her dribbling, and is very crafty in her passing abilities. But what makes Olivia even more indispensable is her willingness to work on both sides of the ball, which you don't see a lot with forwards. She's becoming the complete player.”

For Olivia and the Nighthawks as they start to look at the home stretch of the season, they would love to extend it into postseason play. She and her teammates covet it because they want to achieve a status in the standings that is emblematic of their true efforts all around the program.

“For our team, I would love to see us make SCCs and states this year. We want to have our team record show our true efforts,” says Olivia. “We definitely put in a lot of work on and off the field. We also are very supportive of each other in all aspects of life and any challenges we face.”