Metea Valley’s Chloe Birch was drawing a lot of interest from college soccer coaches earlier in her career.
That dried up when Birch suffered a torn meniscus in November 2022. Then she tore it again in February 2024.
“The injury fully brought recruitment to a halt for a couple of years,” Birch said. “It was hard, very mentally draining, very tough.
“But I knew with hard work my time would come and I just had to be patient. Eventually I was going to get my chance.”
That chance finally came when Birch, a senior forward who played club soccer during her first two seasons, made her debut for the Mustangs one year later than planned. She was with the team as a junior but could only watch and cheer.
“It was obviously very frustrating,” Birch said. “I wanted to make an impact, but I knew my place and I knew the only thing I could do was make the best of it.
“I knew cheering them on and motivating them to be the best would just make me better in the end.”
Birch, who recently committed to North Dakota State, is already making a veteran team even better. She scored the game-winning goals in Metea Valley’s back-to-back victories against Benet and Glenbard West last week.
Birch also assisted on senior forward Lily Senese’s game-winning strike in the Mustangs’ 2-1 victory over host Wheaton North on Tuesday.
“It’s amazing,” Birch said. “I love the girls. I love the team. I love the competition. I’m so happy to be back.”
The Mustangs (3-1) are happy to have Birch in the lineup. She joins Senese, a Northern Michigan recruit, and senior Isabelle Leofanti, a Kent State recruit, to make one of the most potent forward lines in the state.
Those three, along with Marquette-bound senior midfielder Olivia Hernandez, are what Hernandez calls “the fantastic four.” They have been friends since second grade and have played with each other off and on for school and club teams ever since.
“Oh, it’s so nice,” Hernandez said. “We’re close off the field, so it’s easy to be close on the field.”
Birch’s presence on the field is a difference-maker for the Mustangs.
“We definitely need a powerful forward, and she gives us that on the wing,” Hernandez said. “She can play anywhere, but it’s really nice to have somebody to cross it because as you can see, she can cross it, and Lily can head it.”
That’s exactly what happened against Wheaton North. Senese headed home a cross from Birch to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead with 2:07 left in the game. That provided a crucial cushion because the Falcons scored off a corner kick with 43 seconds left.
Birch prefers to play on the wing, but Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley knows he can utilize her elsewhere too.
“We think her best position might be center forward,” Whaley said. “But we try to move people around quite a bit just to see how it works.”
Whaley is confident things will continue to work out for Birch.
“She is very motivated,” Whaley said. “She’s a pretty competitive kid and really loves the game and wants to do really well — not prove herself, but kind of show everybody what she’s capable of.
“She’s just hungry from being hurt. I think sitting out that long was tough. She’s anxious to contribute.”
Indeed, Birch doesn’t mind where she plays on the field as long as she’s actually on it.
“I’m just trying to do what I can do, get other players involved, make other players have opportunities,” Birch said. “Playing on the wing, I try to get crosses off for them to finish and let them have the goal if I need to, and then sometimes be selfish, take it myself, and just play based on what the game is giving us.”
Hernandez is intent on giving Birch passes in space.
“I like to find Chloe a lot on through balls,” Hernandez said. “I can easily find her down the field, and she can get a cross on it. She’s good at finding the ball and taking 1v1s.”
Birch, an aspiring pediatric nurse, is taking nothing for granted in her only high school season. She’s relishing every moment and has high hopes for the Mustangs.
“I think we can go far,” Birch said. “When we’re hot, we’re good, and we’re going to work together, use our strengths and really pick defenses apart.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
