As a center back, Clara Mayer plays a rugged position on the soccer field and she plays it well by not doing anything more than needs to be done.
“I’d say (the key is) probably just playing simply,” the Hopewell Valley Central High senior said. “I think sometimes if I get too focused on trying to do complicated things It can often lead to some not-ideal situations. I try to focus on just doing the basics — not letting people turn, stepping to the ball early – rather than super complicated things.
“I definitely focus on the ball the most. I feel like you can really get swept up when people are doing crazy moves and stuff. You can get drawn away from the ball. The most important part is focusing on the ball.”
Mayer’s simplicity has made her a top defender on one of the top defensive teams in the Colonial Valley Conference. Through a 12-2-2 start, which earned the top seed in the Colonial Valley Conference Tournament, Hopewell had allowed 13 goals and recorded nine shutouts.
And while good defense in soccer also depends on the midfielders and forwards coming back to help, it all starts with the solid back four of Mayer and junior Katie Reinhart in the middle and seniors Charlotte Barnes and Gianna Azara on the outside. Behind them is stellar senior goalie Chloe LiVecchi.
Barnes and Azara were both forwards who were moved back.
“Now we have two kids on the outside who are fast, athletic and can defend against fast, quick kids,” coach John McGinley said. “You want them both on top and in the back, but they’ve settled in as good defenders.”
Mayer has served as an anchor for the defense after growing up as a center-midfielder.
She comes from a soccer family. Her dad, Chris, was an All-Ivy player for Princeton University and was famous for doing impersonations of then-coach Bob Bradley and the legendary soccer guru Manfred Schellscheidt. Older brother Finn played for the Bulldogs several years ago.
Clara started in kindergarten with Hopewell Recreation and moved to Hopewell travel where she played for her dad. From fourth to eighth grade a large nucleus of the current Bulldogs varsity were on that team before Mayer left for two years at NLSA.
Asked what her coaches liked about her as a center-midfielder, Clara was refreshingly honest.
“Probably not a ton,” she said. “Maybe passing. I’m not a great dribbler or finisher. So I’d say my passing.”
When McGinley moved her to center back as a sophomore, there was an adjustment period, but the fact she was still a central player made it easier.
“There’s some similarities in terms of having to distribute wide and stuff,” Mayer said. “I probably played a little more defensively than offensively in the midfield, so I had some experience. Now I feel I’ve settled in, especially playing with everyone else back there who I’ve played with for so long.”
Mayer has taken on some of the CVC’s top offensive players and come out on top. McGinley feels she has progressed each year and has gained a bigger understanding of what the coaches want.
“She’s a really quiet kid,” McGinley said. “But she’s just a great person. We have some more vocal leaders, but she’s that quiet, steady person that plays hard every day, comes to practice every day. The kids respect her and look up to her. She’s a great model for the rest of our kids.”
Mayer, Barnes and Reinhart were together in the back last year and Azara joined them this season, but the quartet is familiar with each other through years of playing together. In the rare instances when they are beaten, LiVecchi is usually there to make the saves.
“Chloie’s been great, she’s played some goal, played some field,” McGinley said. “She’s really calm, some things happen and she doesn’t panic. We have a lot of veterans back there and that’s helped us look really good defensively.”
Mayer says the backs are proud of their role, but is quick to point out teams do not thrive by defenders alone.
“I think we’ve been working pretty hard in the back four,” she said. “But I’d also say a good part of it is we have strong returning midfielders and good forwards. It’s pride in the whole team rather than just pride in our defensive skills. It is easier to defend when you have some of the pressure relieved by the midfield and the offense. You definitely work more as a unit. You can look to the defense for those clean sheets but it’s the effort of the whole team that helps us achieve those scores.”
All that is accurate, but it’s still necessary to have a true roadblock in the back. Mayer has made herself into just such a performer.
“She’s got good size, she’s a big, strong kid and it’s tough to get by her,” McGinley said. “She’s really good in the air. Also, a lot of it is that she’s just a smart kid. She reads the game well. She’s not someone to really make mistakes. She knows when to play out, knows when to find someone to play the feet. She’s got composure, she can possess or play the ball out. She’s a good steady force and just an intelligent player.”
That intelligence carries over to the classroom, where Mayer is still searching for a college while armed with a 4.6 weighted GPA. She is also part of Central’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club, which reads bible passages and discusses how they can be adapted to life. As a member of HoVal’s Red Cross club, Mayer helps organize blood drives and other activities to aid the organization.
In the spring, she runs track & field in the 400, 800 and sometimes the mile.
“That started out just to keep in shape for soccer, but I really like it now,” Mayer said. “I do it with a lot of my friends. It’s fun. It’s a different culture than soccer because it’s more individual, but I really like it.”
Almost as much as she likes playing center-back.
“I love it,” she said. “I love working with my teammates in the back. It’s a ton of fun. I love seeing everybody in front of me, watching what they do. I think it’s a great position. It’s a lot of fun. I try to be vocal just because it’s one of the few positions that can really see the whole field. And I try to keep morale up if we’re ever in tough situations.”
And she does it all without making it seem too complex.
Hopewell Valley defender Clara Mayer playing at Robbinsville, Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo by Suzette Lucas.),
