Soccer, Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Lionel Messi
Favorite team: Flyers or Phillies
Favorite memory in sports: The organized competitiveness of the sport and team bonding.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: One time during a soccer game, I was up against a player, and my feet were kicked out from under me and flew up so high I was vertical. My face crashed straight into the ground, and my mouth was full of dirt and grass, and I had scratches on my face. My team laughed, and I was mad at first, but I’m happy we can all laugh about it now.
Another one of my favorite embarrassing memories was the fact that my best friend scored five own goals playing defense over the course of two years. She didn’t seem to find it as funny as I did.
Music on iPod: My music is very diverse. I love country, pop, rap and so much more.
Future plans: I plan to attend West Chester University and major in education
Words to live by: ‘I can do all thing through Christ who gives me strength.’ Philippians 4:13
One goal before turning 30: To be happily married and starting a family.
One thing people don’t know about me: I’m Argentinian!!!
By Mary Jane Souder
‘Megan Grande is the greatest person in the world.’
It wasn’t exactly the kind of comment Norristown soccer coach Lisa Noce was expecting to hear from her art students, but she insists she has heard it on more than one occasion.
“I was like, ‘Wow, where did that come from,’” Noce said. “These were kids in my class that I didn’t know even know Megan, and they would randomly just say it to me.
“Honestly, she knows everyone. I don’t know if they knew I was her soccer coach or whether it was during homecoming and she was in the homecoming court.”
Whatever the reason, it was a comment that speaks volumes about the genuine affection classmates have for the Norristown senior, and coming as no surprise, Grande was a positive force on an Eagle soccer squad that did not win a game this season.
“Megan always tries to cheer her team on and leaves her heart on the field, hustling through injuries,” Noce said. “She is very motivated and determined, and she tries to bring that out in the other girls.
“She also is the first to reach out to new girls and try to bring the team together.”
While it might be easy for some players to simply accept losing, Grande is not in that number.
“Although we are so used to losing, she does take it to heart, which I respect,” Noce said. “You kind of wish all the girls would be upset about losing and not expect to lose every game.
“Megan will say to them, ‘Let’s go. Keep your head in the game.’”
Grande, who inherited her love of soccer from her father and brothers, has been playing the sport since she was a youngster.
“She’s one of our best players,” Noce said. “She’s very versatile. We could probably put her anywhere.
“We just needed her this year at stopper to plug up the center and keep other teams from coming in. She played stopper most of the season, but she’s very strong offensively as well.”
For her part, Grande is willing to do whatever is best for the team. She played outside mid as a freshman and the next two years played either center mid or striker.
“I really like striker, but for our specific team I like to play stopper because a lot of the action was defensive, so I enjoyed that a lot,” she said.
Grande, a second team all-league selection last year and four-year starter, admits that she never gets used to losing.
“It is discouraging,” she said. “But it’s hard because a lot of the girls on the team haven’t played soccer in such a long time, so you can’t get frustrated with them when they don’t really know any better.
“I wish we could win, but I enjoy playing soccer, so that’s enough to keep me going.”
Grande, who also plays lacrosse in the spring, points to the team bonding, being with friends and getting to know the underclassmen as highlights of her four-year varsity career.
On the lacrosse field, Grande is a standout defender for the Eagles, earning honorable mention all-league honors last spring.
“Megan is a very graceful and skilled lacrosse player,” coach Stacie Staufenberg said. “Her cradling is the best on our team, and her ability to pass between defenders to a teammate’s pocket was beautiful to watch.”
Coming as no surprise, Staufenberg also made reference to Grande’s upbeat personality.
“Megan is the sweetest and nicest player a coach could want,” the Eagles’ coach said. “She smiles all the time and looks like she loves what she is doing. All the players like Megan because she is always kind hearted and never has a bad day.”
Just how much they like her is underscored by the fact that her soccer team regularly chants her name, but it doesn’t begin and end on the athletic field.
“I see her in the hall, and she talks to anyone and everyone,” Noce said. “She can bring a whole entire class together.
“I had her in class last year, and she was friends with everyone. She was friends with the sports people, she was friends with the academic people. She’s just a great girl, always with a smile on her face and a positive attitude, and she brings everyone who’s around her up.”
Noce admits that Grande will be difficult to replace.
“Out of our four seniors, we only had one captain,” she said. “Megan was chosen not only because of her abilities but also because she’s constantly motivated and trying to motivate those around her. When she directs other people, she doesn’t do it in a negative or condescending way.”
Underscoring Grande’s wide acceptance was her selection as this fall’s Homecoming Queen at Norristown.
“Her friendliness and acceptance of people on all levels – on the field and in the classroom – is commendable,” Noce said. “Her friendliness is complemented by an excellent sense of humor. You can tell that all the girls look up to her.”
A standout student, Grande excelled in Noce’s ceramics class.
“Megan always put forth 110 percent effort and asked appropriate questions when needed,” she said.
Grande, who is active in her church youth group, also is a member of student council. She has her sights set on attending West Chester University next year where she plans to major in education or nursing.
“She is a very well rounded individual,” Noce said. “I wish that every player and student were like her.”
