Make no mistake about it: Liv McNulty is a very good soccer player, be it for the Hun School or her Yardley-Makefield Soccer club.
But to hear her talk, she never felt that way when starting out with either of those teams.
“My freshman year (at Hun), I was very nervous and didn’t have a lot of confidence,” the Hopewell Township resident and Timberlane Middle School graduate said. “I was always playing with the older girls, I wanted everything just to be perfect. When I messed up a pass or missed a ball, I would be really hard on myself. It wasn’t like I was I was necessarily bad or anything. It was just, I could never stay in the game without getting on myself.”
And then there was her foray into YMS, when she moved to defense after playing forward in Ewing Recreation and for Player Development Academy.
“I came in as a forward/offensive midfielder and this one time at a tournament coach put me at outside back,” McNulty recalled. “I was like ‘Oh my God, I have no idea what I’m doing! I don’t’ play outside back.’ I cried to my parents, I was like ‘I don’t want to play this position, she keeps putting me there, I don’t know what to do.’ I absolutely hated it.”
But then, she grew to love it. And now, she says she wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. And she has not played anywhere else, as it is the position she has held down throughout her Hun career. Which, by the way, became more fun once she had a talk with herself after that freshman season.
“Over the summer, in club, I just learned not to be so hard on myself and know that mistake are going to happen,” McNulty said. “Going into sophomore year that mentality just helped me grow as a player.”
The growth has never stopped, as Raiders coach Joanna Hallac noted.
“Liv has done a really nice job of being on this nice upward trajectory her entire career,” Hallac said. “She was always a solid player, but every year she comes back better, stronger, faster and technically more sound. She has a better understanding of the game. I really commend her dedication to the game and her improvement.”
McNulty was quick to point out that Hallac helped her advancement, saying, “she always believed in me which always let me feel I was good. She always made sure that I knew what I was doing was OK; and when I made a mistake she let me know, which she had every right to do.”
There were a few mistakes early on but that was to be expected. After being a scoring machine at Timberlane, she was suddenly asked to prevent goals rather than score them. Hallac felt that technically, Liv was sound but needed some improvement, and that she was also a bit error-prone and judgment-prone. Size was an issue as well, as even now she only stands at 5-foot-2.
But McNulty’s strong work ethic gained her a starting role as a sophomore that she never relinquished. Liv has committed to play for Franklin & Marshall University next year. But for now, she and goalie Leah Sutphen are the captains and anchors in the back for Hun, which started the season 2-0 after sharing the Mid-Atlantic Prep League title last season.
“She’s just a natural leader and really great at supporting the younger kids and holding the kids accountable,” Hallac said. “She’s definitely a real role model on the field but I think even more so off the field. In school she takes on a lot of leadership roles. I think the girls really look up to her for that.”
McNulty is a “fantastic defender,” Sutphen says. “I can always rely on her for not letting anyone down the sideline, and transitioning the ball up the field to create plays,” she said. “Liv and I have known each other for six years, because we played travel ball together since 7th grade. The chemistry between us is amazing because we have been through so much, and have grown up together in a way.”
Although she has not scored a goal in high school, McNulty is still dangerous making runs up the flank and helping put pressure on opposing goalies. And while she says that is her favorite part of playing on the outside, Liv realizes her main function is to defend.
“She has good instincts,” Hallac said. “She kind of knows when to go in for a tackle, when to wait for help and be patient. I think that’s where her instincts help her be a good defender. She’s also vocal and helps her teammates if they’re out of position.”
What Hallac calls instincts, McNulty refers to as discipline.
“It’s the key to being a good defender,” she said. “Especially when a player is coming down the line. You don’t want to dive in, or they’ll go right around you. Or they might pass it. But you also can’t be too late coming on them or they can still go around you. So it’s definitely discipline and finding the right moment.”
Which, in a way, is a combination of instinct and faith in one’s self.
“It can be instinctive but no one’s perfect at it,” McNulty said. “It’s just something you need to constantly be practicing and something to you need to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident, you’re not gonna win the ball.”
And her confidence never wavers, despite being one of the smallest players on the field.
“I always wished I was taller, but that’s something that’s never gonna change,” McNulty said with a laugh. “You just have to acclimate to it. I know most of my competition is always going to be taller than me but I never really let it get in the way. I’m always going to go for those balls. It doesn’t change anything in the game. It’s just a height, it means nothing to me.”
Hard to believe she’s the same girl with all those self-doubts four long years ago.
Liv McNulty, a senior at The Hun School, lining up a kick against The George School on Sept. 10, 2018. Hun won, 2-0. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.),
