OneTeam2021

Love, serve, grow is the Mansfield University women's soccer program's message and what they live by on and off the field. In order for a team's identity to be successful and flood throughout its players, you need leadership to buy in.

Sophomore midfielder Olivia Bowman has been one of those players for third-year head coach John Shaffer during her two fall seasons with the Mountaineers.

Bowman didn't wait long to make an impact on the soccer program after being named a starter in her rookie year. The Johnson City native played in 18 games and started 15, totaling 1,212 minutes on the season. She recorded two assists and five shots on goal for the Mounties in 2019.
 

Facing a grueling schedule in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Bowman played her best soccer against the top teams in the conference. The freshman dished out the first assist of her career in a battle against No. 8 Millersville, before notching her second helper in an exciting 3-2 overtime loss to Shippensburg University.

Bowman's comfortability and flow within Shaffer's offense continued to grow as the season moved along and Bowman led the Mounties with three shots against No. 22 East Stroudsburg, with two of those coming on goal.

Bowman has continued to meet benchmarks in the weight room, while improving as a leader amongst a youth movement in 2020. Bowman was named to the team's leadership council prior to the fall season.

The Johnson City graduate was a PSAC Scholar-Athlete as a history education major.
 

Check out what Bowman has to say on what athletics means to her, not playing live games during the pandemic, her favorite quote and more.

What has athletics meant to you?

A: I have been a student athlete my entire life. Being a three-sport athlete in high school and long before that, sports have been my outlet for stress. I have made many close friends throughout my life playing sports and I believe I am more prepared for life after college because of my athletic career.

How has sports helped you grow into the person you have become?

A: Playing sports at various levels my entire life has created a standard of expectations in my life. Being a student athlete academics comes first so you are expected to have assignments completed before practice or games. Athletics has made me a strong communicator; I have only played team sports and you need to be able to work with teammates you may not be close with.

How has not playing sports during these difficult times been for you?

A: Not playing sports has been extremely difficult for me because, like most student athletes, it is a stress relief. I trained as much as I could on my own, but it is not the same without friendly competition and with COVID-19 many gyms and leagues were shut down. I went in my backyard every day and juggled for about 30 minutes to improve my touches.
 

What quote inspires you and is preparing you for a return-to-sports in your life?

A: My mother growing up would say "you have the power to choose" every day, eventually she would just say "choices" by this she meant I can choose how I feel about situations like COVID-19. Over the summer it was hard to stay positive but every day I decided to stay positive and be grateful for the things we were able to do. In my dorm room there is a sign board that says, "be positive", every day I can choose to be positive about being able to practice or I can be upset that the fall season got postponed.

As a team leader, what message have you given to the team, especially the young players, during this time?

A: I tell my team that we are a family, and we need to support each other. You may not know exactly what is going on in their lives, we need to work together to get through these tough times as one. I also say the COVID-19 rules and expectations are not new, everyone should be following them so we can continue to train.