Hodel took that advice and turned her own struggles as a freshman into a positive example for the younger players on the team.

Sophomore Rebecca Mildrew, for one, has been a productive player for the Crimson this year.

But she might not have played at all after seeing action in just five games during a frustrating freshman season had it not been for several conversations with Hodel.

“She’s able to know when you need to be talked to,” Mildrew says. “She was able to see that. Without [me] saying anything, she knew how I was feeling and reached out to me.

“She’s the one who made first contact,” Mildrew continues. “It’s just nice, too, knowing that she’s been through the same situation because she’s an unbelievable player and you don’t think of people like her not playing, but it’s nice to know that she was there, too. It gives you hope.”

But for Hodel, that’s just part of the job description.

“I felt like I was able to connect with them a little bit because I had had a similar experience,” Hodel says. “I came in here, didn’t get to play a whole lot, was disappointed, was questioning myself, my ability, like ‘do I really want to do this?’ And so I was able to talk to them and say, ‘O.K. Here’s what my situation was. Here’s how I looked at it, handled it. If you want to talk to me about it, please do.’ Hopefully that helps them a little bit.”

The Back-bone

This year, Hodel—a midfielder the past two seasons—has anchored the Harvard defense as a center back. It’s a role she took on at the beginning of the season, sacrificing opportunities to join the attack and learning a new position to solidify the team.

Yet Hodel’s teammates seem to have no trouble finding her, wherever she is on the field.

“It’s just unspoken,” sophomore goalkeeper Katie Shields says. “When something goes wrong—or even if things are going well—she’s the one everyone on the team looks to. It’s like, ‘So, Hodel, what do you think? Hodel, what do we do?’

“We’ve gone into many overtime periods this year and each time, you come into the huddle and you look around at all the faces. A lot of times, you’ll see people ready and intense, but her face—it’s almost on the verge of tears because she wants it so bad. That attitude sticks out.”

Yet Hodel doesn’t just command respect during games or at practice.

“Off the field, she’s kind of like our mother,” Shields adds.

Hodel doesn’t necessarily deny it.