After an impressive first season as a Cougar in 2010, sophomore midfielder Eileen Maes is at it again as she continues to excel in her game and leave a mark in the WSU soccer program.
Hailing from Oakland, Calif., Maes is the youngest of five children. She was a four-year letter winner during her high school career along with a number of other awards to add to her resumé such as midfielder of the year and a member of the All East-Bay First Team.
Entering her first year as a Cougar, Maes didn’t waste any time presenting her skills to the coaching staff, appearing in 19 matches, starting 17 of them and was the second leading scorer on the team with five goals and three assists.
She also recorded her first hat trick at the Pac-10 level against Gonzaga, which earned her the Pac-10 player of the week award and would eventually win the team Rookie of the Year award.
“What brought me to Pullman was being part of the Pac-10 (the conference recently changed to the Pac-12 this year),” Maes said. “I just wanted to play at the highest level possible. The competition in this conference is great, and I had a lot of my club players come with me.”
Upon playing at a higher level, Maes said she faced challenges of getting used to how strong all of the other players were and how fast the play was.
In the season opener this year against Hawaii, Maes recorded another hat trick to solidify the first win of the 2011 season for the Cougars, earning another Pac-12 Player of the Week award. Her performance went down in Cougar history, becoming the second player to record multiple hat tricks in single games.
“I think I’ve matured a lot in my game since I’ve been here,” Maes said. “I’m starting to play smarter, playing simpler but ultimately better.”
Maes is currently a criminal justice major but has an all-time goal to work hard and get an opportunity to play professionally in the future. She said that if soccer doesn’t work out for a career, she would like to work in the police force after graduating.
Outside of soccer, Maes enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and working out in her free time.
