By Jim Hague
When she first arrived on the campus of Rutgers-Newark three years ago, Alison Phillips felt like a fish out of water.
Phillips was undergoing a total transformation, leaving her rural background in Buena, the heart of southern New Jersey farm country for a new life in college in urban Newark, the largest city in the Garden State.
“It was definitely culture shock,” Phillips said. “I wasn’t much of a city girl. It was definitely different for me.”
Phillips decided to attend Rutgers-Newark because she wanted play for the Scarlet Raiders’ growing women’s soccer program.
“I knew the program was young,” Phillips said. “I was going to get a chance to play every single game right away. I’d much rather do that than sit the bench somewhere and wait for my chance. I also knew that Rutgers had a good criminal justice program and that’s what I wanted to study.”
So it was a perfect combination of athletics and academics that drew Phillips to Rutgers-Newark. There was only one problem. It wasn’t home.
“At first, I got really homesick,” Phillips said. “I was really close to my Mom. We’re like best friends. Going away from home was very difficult for me. I didn’t think I was going to stay. I was all nervous and confused. I didn’t do well with my grades. It was a tough year.”
Although Phillips had modest success as a freshman, scoring two goals and seeing action in 16 games, she thought about leaving.
However, some of Phillips’ teammates and friends talked her into remaining with the Scarlet Raiders’ program.
“They’re the ones who kept me here,” Phillips said. “They were the confidence builders. My teammates and friends were the ones who guided me and I’ll never forget that.”
Since she decided to remain at R-N, there was a huge change in Phillips’ production from her freshman to sophomore year with the Scarlet Raiders.
As a sophomore, Phillips led the Scarlet Raiders in goals scored with 11 and total points with 23, starting all 18 of the team’s matches. She also scored three of the team’s five game-winning goals.
“I think it was all about being confident,” Phillips said. “Once you’re confident, it never goes away. Once I got through the first year, I knew I could make it here. I knew that more was going to be expected of me when I was a sophomore. I just became more comfortable as time went by, but I also worked harder as well.”
Phillips continued her fine play for the Scarlet Raiders last year, collecting a team-high eight goals and three assists for 19 points. She was named the Most Outstanding Player in the first-ever Scarlet Raider Soccer Classic last fall and scored the game-winning goal three times.
Phillips began her senior year with 21 career goals, which ranks third all-time in school history. Of her 21 career goals, seven have won contests for the Scarlet Raiders.
Now, Phillips is a confident senior leader, a sure-fire scorer and a young woman with a bright future.
“I actually like being in the city now, being so close to New York and Hoboken,” Phillips said. “I’ve met a lot of good people. It’s been a great experience for me. I see the way I’ve changed over the years and it’s all been for the better.”
Phillips can’t believe that her soccer career is drawing to an end.
“I can’t believe I’m a senior already,” said Phillips, who also works as a clock operator for men’s and women’s basketball games at R-N. “I’m finishing my last year of soccer and that’s amazing. But I am ready for the rest of my life to start and go on to the next step in my life.”
Phillips said that she ultimately would love to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation or perhaps as a homicide detective.
“I’ve always been interested in criminal minds,” Phillips said. “I want something new and exciting to keep me going. I also can’t see myself working behind a desk all day. I need to be outside.”
Phillips said she plans on returning back to her hometown of Buena after she graduates from Rutgers-Newark next June.
“I just want to make sure I’m ready for the next step of my life,” Phillips said. “I have talked to a lot of people (about a career choice). I think about it every day, but I haven’t really pursued anything yet. I’d like to get started in some sort of law enforcement, just to make sure that it’s what I want to do. I feel good about where my life is going. I learned that I am where I need to be and if I have to, I’m ready to change myself again.”
So in retrospect, Phillips is glad that she remained at Rutgers-Newark.
“I’m definitely happy that I stayed,” Phillips said. “It’s good to look back on a lot of things in my life. I’ll never forget my stay here. I just hope other girls come into the program and work to their potential, so they can keep the program going in the right direction.”
Women’s soccer is moving forward at Rutgers-Newark, thanks to the major contributions of people like Alison Phillips.
