The Boston College women’s soccer team has been very successful over the last few years, currently topping the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 64 ranking at #1 nationally. Dominating victories over mid-major programs and a threshold-crossing win last weekend over previous #1 North Carolina, a 3-2 come-from-behind effort on the road, has placed the Eagles as a prime contender for a the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

A big part of BC’s success is due in part to the performance of sophomore midfielder Kristen Mewis (#10 Top 100 Upperclassmen). Midway through the season, Kristen has already notched six goals and eight assists, and is second in the team in points. Furthermore, since the Eagles’ match against Central Connecticut State(w) University, she has tallied a point in every single match, either through an assist, a goal, or a combination of both.

“She plays a critical roll in the attack and makes great final passes and gets goals, said BC coach Allison Foley. “The team knows that when she’s on the field and has the ball, all the attention will be towards her.”

“She has great technical ability to dribble at people, is clever, crafty on ball, and great one on one,” Foley continued. “She holds herself at a higher level and puts high expectations on herself.”

Coming into BC as a veteran of the U17 Women’s National Team and a youth world cup, Mewis had a good opening college season, tallying five goals and six assists. However, what most didn’t know was that she wasn’t at full strength her first year.

“I was getting over an illness and adjusting to the environment going into my freshman season. I had to take two months off from soccer and came into the season really tired and out of shape,” Kristen explained. “This season I have been much healthier. I have been concentrating a lot in the attack, practicing, and focusing really hard.”

Her role with the Eagles has also changed. Due to some injuries, she had to split time her first year between the left back and left midfield spots, decreasing the chances of her looks at goal. Now, she has had opportunities to attack, moving through the midfield, and creating dangerous chances.

“We allow a lot of flexibility with our players. Sometimes we pull really wide and we also allow them to come in centrally,” Foley said. “Kristin gets to flow in the midfield, so it’s very difficult to defend when your wide midfielder floats around.”

As successful as Kristen has been so far, and as much notoriety she is receiving for her effective play, she has been successful long before she entered the gates of Newton Campus. In 2008 she captained the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team to a second place finish at the inaugural U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she was also awarded the Bronze Ball.

“The experience with the national team was awesome,” Kristen said. “It was great to play with some of the best payers in the country and against some of the best in the world. It helped me gain knowledge on how to play with a big team.”

That world cup performance was followed with her winning the 2008 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year Award.

“It was one of the best honors I had ever had, it was amazing and I couldn’t have been happier,” Kristen said. “Everyone I knew was voting for me everyday. I had so much support, it was really awesome.”

Again, this past summer, Kristen represented the U.S. at the U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It was an experience that, according to Coach Foley, helped transform Kristen into a better player than she was during her first year at Boston.

“She is an integral part of the U.S. U20 team. She put a lot on her shoulders to be successful at the world cup,” Foley said. “For someone to go through a world cup, you have to deal with adversity, to play in front of big crowds and on television. That’s a big part that helped increase her maturity and confidence.”

Last year, people had only seen a teaser of what Kristie can do on the field. As she has progressed through this season, it seems that she has shown what she can really do, and has the skill to lead the Eagles to the holy grail of college soccer.

“We’ve been working really hard at practice. We have started to take it one game at a time and make it easier on ourselves,” Kristen said. “Everyone is focused and we want to win a national championship.”

However Coach Foley looks beyond a national championship for her young star.

“I want to feel like she was pushed both in soccer and academically, and feels accomplished as a person. Boston College puts everyone through an eclectic process of developing one’s experience academically, athletically, and spiritually,” Foley said.

“Hopefully she will feel that she has grown through the Boston experience, most of all that she has a family here. That she played for and with people that care about her.”

For now, there are only five words that come up when Kristen is asked what she wants out of her college experience.

“I want a national championship,” she says.

Well, with two years of eligibility reaming and a young talented team, even thinking of more than one championship isn’t unthinkable.