She covers so much territory for us and has an engine that never stops. – BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood
PROVO — Her full name expanded considerably during the offseason, but you can just call her "Murph."
Just about everyone else does, particularly when she’s on the pitch, playing a key role for the BYU women’s soccer team.
Michele Murphy Vasconcelos is her full name after getting married following last season, so you can certainly forgive anyone for sticking with her former name.
“Even with my parents at the game — it’s either ‘Murph’ or ‘Murphy.’ They’re always yelling, ‘Go Murphy!’ while I’m out there,” Vasconcelos said. “It’s what everyone knows me by and I couldn’t imagine being known by anything else.”
For her coaches and teammates, the name "Murphy" means someone who has morphed into a true team leader while providing excellent play from her forward-midfield position.
“She covers so much territory for us and has an engine that never stops,” said BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood. “She’s always been good for us, but these last three games — she’s really been extremely dominant out there and playing at her best.”
Vasconcelos’ play over the team’s last three games helped earn her West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors while putting three more wins on the board for the No. 5-ranked Cougars.
As mentioned, along with the great play on the field has come invaluable leadership for the team in general.
"She's playing as confident as she ever has and it's what you want from one of your team captains. She's leading by example," Rockwood said. "Both of our team captains, Murph along with Taylor (Campbell Isom), are playing great soccer. They want the ball, they want to make a difference, and they really want to help all of their teammates."
Their current No. 5 national ranking, along with a stellar 10-1-1 record, indicates a team that could go far into the postseason and perhaps match and even surpass the success of the school's 2012 team. In 2012 the Cougars came one game short of advancing to the NCAA Final Four, losing to eventual champion North Carolina.
Vasconcelos played a key role on that 2012 team as a true freshman and believes the 2015 team has the same potential.
"We have super talented players this year like we did in 2012, but I think this team is even a little bit closer than that team was," Vasconcelos said. "I remember being sort of intimidated by the seniors on that team, so I've tried to be as inclusive as possible to the younger players and hopefully that's added to how close we are as a team."
Also benefitting this year's team is a load of returning experience, contrary to last year's team that still managed to end strong despite being so young. The 2014 team struggled out of the gate, but rebounded to win 12 of its final 13 games while earning another bid into the NCAA tournament.
"The season has gone as well as we hoped going in knowing we had the chance to be a really good team with all the players we had returning," Rockwood said. "We played a competitive nonconference schedule and got some great results and I feel we're improving. We just need to keep working hard, continue to do what we do well, and yeah, I think this team has a great chance to do some great things."
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney