Podziewski battle-tested

Suffolk University’s Dai Podziewski, left, kicks the ball, while a Lesley College player steps in late for defense during their game in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletics Association in Boston last year. (Suffolk University)

CNMI National Team member Dai Podziewski may be a newcomer in collegiate soccer, but his experience with the Blue Ayuyus helped him play like a veteran in his rookie season in the National Collegiate Athletics Association.

Podziewski plays for Suffolk University in Boston in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference and started out for the Rams in his debut game.

“It was against Massachusetts Maritime Academy and an away game. It was actually on my birthday (Aug. 31). It was a back-and-forth game that ended up in a 1-1 draw after the full 90 minutes and overtime, and I started and played the full game. Massachusetts Maritime is a team that heavily relied on strong physical play style,” Podziewski said.

Suffolk University’s Dai Podziewski , third left, and his teammates exchange hi-fives with Lesley College players after their game. (Suffolk University)

The Suffolk University defender held his own against the tough Massachusetts Maritime Academy players and credited his stint with the CNMI National Team for preparing him to withstand whatever their opponents throw at him.

“Being a member of the NMI MNT had a big impact for my adjustments to NCAA soccer, because my experiences back home with the national team gave me confidence to play against talented teams. I wasn’t fazed against the teams I played against because I knew I’ve had top-level coaching and experiences playing against some of the best competition in high-stakes settings,” the Marianas High School graduate said.

“This helped me build a professional mindset and approach to games which made my transition pretty simple. Not enough people truly appreciate the fact that we have a great coaching staff in coach Mita (Michiteru Mita), coach Jersh (Angeles), and the Chelsea coaches that have professional licenses and have experience coaching all over the world, so I would like to thank them,” said Podziewski, who is still in Boston and has been taking part in the Teen Ayuyus’ virtual training workouts.

Suffolk University’s Dai Podziewski makes a defensive stop during their game against Lesley College. (Suffolk University)

Though he adjusted well in his rookie season with the Rams, Podziewski’s first year in the collegiate ranks was not without hiccups.

“It was an interesting learning experience. I was a starter from the very first game, which is something I was proud of coming in as a new player but being able to prove myself to the coaching staff. Our team struggled with some changes in the coaching staff, and dealing with those issues were also difficult. It’s a relatively short season (from August to November), but we have two games in one week for most weeks and that was an adjustment I had to make, mentally and physically preparing for games, especially with all of my commitments as a student,” said Podziewski, the MHS Class of 2019 valedictorian.

“It was my first experience with longer trips for away games, some teams we played were a two to three-hour drive away from our campus in Boston, so staying mentally switched on during the drives was also a new experience. Injuries here and there took me out of the starting lineup, but I was able to make an impact every time I stepped on to the field. I was happy that I was able to connect to my teammates who I’ve obviously never met or played with before (outside of Sunjoon Tenorio) and being able to be a vocal presence on my team,” he added.

Podziewski appeared in 11 of the Rams’ 16 games and was a starter in seven matches. He assisted the winning goal in Suffolk’s home opener over Lesley College and also fed a teammate in their 6-2 victory versus Anna Maria College.

Suffolk University’s Dai Podziewski is greeted by their coaches during the introduction of the Rams’ starting 11 in their game versus Lesley College. (Suffolk University)

He will be back for the Rams to play his sophomore season and vows to work harder to help their team as they move to a more competitive division.

“I will be returning to Suffolk next season, and I have a lot of goals; personal and team. We are moving to the Commonwealth Coast Conference next season, which will be more competitive than the GNAC. My goal is to win the conference and make a deep playoff run. My personal goal is to start all games and lead the conference in least goals conceded,” Podziewski said.