By: Ryan Henry
KENNESAW, Ga. – Rebecca Womer's journey to The Saw has been a fascinating one. Originally a student-athlete at the University of Georgia, Womer left soccer all together after her sophomore season. When it seemed like her playing days were done, a call from a former teammate brought her back to the game she loves.
Her soccer story began all the way down in Chile. Inspired by her brother, Womer decided to pick up the sport as the only girl at her camp. Despite early struggles, her passion for the game never wavered and after moving back to the United States, everything clicked for her.
Shining on Mountain View Los Altos SC in the ECNL (under the direction of current UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa), Womer gained the confidence that she could play for one of the top programs at the next level.
She ultimately committed to Georgia for the 2021 season shortly after they came to watch one of her games.
Before she could even officially take the field at Athens, Womer dealt with adversity as she was forced to miss her first ever preseason game to quarantine for COVID-19.
One of her teammates who was forced to quarantine alongside her was
Daniella Murguia. Both Murguia and Womer describe how that shared experience brought them closer together.
"I remember her [Dani] giving me encouraging text messages," Womer said. "When we went back to training, I felt like we had a special bond because that happened to both of us."
"We got really close during that time and having to quarantine was the catalyst of our friendship," Murguia said.
When they returned for Georgia's second preseason match of the season – oddly enough against Kennesaw State – Womer and Murguia celebrated on the field together when Murguia scored.
Womer's time at Georgia had ups and downs – an NCAA Tournament appearance, a goal on her birthday, and a coaching change after her freshman year.
After two years playing collegiate soccer at the highest level, she decided to step away from the game.
"A new coach came in and brought a bunch of players, and I wasn't going to get playing time," Womer reflecting on her decision to stop playing soccer. "In college soccer, you're working hard every single day and it's hard to be someone who's not going to touch the field. I figured my time was done."
In the two years post-soccer she kept herself busy through travel, half-marathons, cycling and learning the guitar, but there was a void in her heart.
At the same time,
Chris Cahill and Murguia just wrapped up their first season as KSU's head coach and top assistant. Cahill, looking to make additions to his squad, asked Murguia if she knew anyone who could help the program.
Her mind went to one person: Womer.
"She is the exact type of person I knew we needed in this program," Murguia said about bringing Womer in. "Hard-work, discipline, and honesty, those are the types of things she exemplifies really well. She could push the team in the direction we wanted to go towards."
When Womer got the call, she had just finished up a job interview. Despite that, her was mind was settled.
"When this opportunity came up to play again, I knew it was special," Womer said. "I had hung up my cleats and then I got to take them right back down. I didn't even doubt it."
The moment Womer came in, she brought a level of maturity and discipline the team needed.
"She was a professional who has been through it," Cahill on his first impressions of Womer. "Her expectations were in line with what I wanted to bring in. Her mentality and how she went about her training was the professionalism we needed."
After readjusting to the pace and stamina needed for soccer, Womer has played at a greater level after being gone for two years.
Her first goal of the season came on August 31 against North Florida when she scored in the final seconds of the first half.
After celebrating with her teammates on the field, she ran over and hugged Murguia, just like they had done four years earlier against the very Owls they are now a part of.
"I never thought I was going to have that feeling again," Womer on scoring that goal. "I realized that my hard work paid off and I can still play after two years off. The celebration with my teammates, how happy they are for me, it's pretty special."
"I was proud to see her grow," Murguia reflecting on Womer's KSU first goal. "In that moment, I saw her as a freshman again and that moment during her first preseason game. I thought about how she's matured and overcame that two-year gap."
Womer has also taken on a new role as a leader in the locker room, trying to become that bigger sister Murguia had been for her.
"It's cool seeing freshmen coming in because I remember the feeling, the nerves, and everything being so new," Womer said. "Now I'm seeing it from somebody who has already graduated from college. I'm a little bit of a big sister to them and try to give them advice."
With four games left in the regular season, Womer is relishing the time she has left on the field and not taking any of it for granted.
