“I’ve been dreaming about this for the past year and a half, stepping out on that field, representing Wellesley and competing against some top-level teams,” says Liz Zhou ’22. In this photo taken on Wellesley’s home field on Sept. 8, Zhou, who had just been named NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Week, and the Blue are playing against Suffolk University. Wellesley won (2-0), but it seems that for Zhou, the dream is really just being together again.

Zhou, a biological sciences and Chinese double major from McLean, Va., was on campus both semesters last year. With all the restrictions, “It was so hard to find that Wellesley community. It felt really isolating at times,” she says. But soccer was a lifeline. Because there wasn’t a “normal” season, the team practiced together in both fall and spring.

Getting back to a “normal” season has its challenges. Some players haven’t even been on campus for two years. But mainly? “There’s just a great energy on campus wherever you go. … It’s really fun reconnecting with people,” Zhou says.