It was a comfortable September afternoon in Farmville, VA, as the Longwood men's soccer team hosted Robert Morris. The sun peeked out of the clouds from time to time and it was 80 degrees outside.
After a fast start to the game from both teams, Robert Morris held a 2-1 advantage. Then, in the 22nd minute of the first half, a player who Lancer fans hadn't seen grace the pitch since 2016 enters the game. The crowd rises in sheer excitement, as redshirt senior Willy Miezan’s long road back to the pitch finally ended.
“I felt like I was almost not there," Miezan said. "It was just like ‘Wow I’m about to go in again and play’ because at one point I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to play again.”
He was effective from the onset of his time in the game and nearly scored on multiple occasions. As he works to reignite the flame he once had, a flame showcased in a redshirt freshman season which saw him score a hat trick in his first collegiate game against Virginia Military Institute (VMI) while coming off the bench. He finished top 10 in scoring in the NCAA, earned All-Big South second team honors and won Longwood Male Freshman Athlete of the Year.
Miezan transferred to Longwood from Old Dominion University (ODU) after not finding a place on their Division I squad while playing in the club team ranks at ODU, causing the redshirt status.
“Willy was a surprise package in many sense. Willy has kind of a special demeanor, and character, his personality, a very smooth, calm, focused guy," Men's Soccer Coach Jon Atkinson said. "We had a need for some offensive guys that year and it was a gamble worth taking.”
After preparation for the 2016 season commenced, the Lancers' first preseason exhibition match took place in Charlottesville, VA to face the University of Virginia (UVA). Miezan suffered his first ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear in his right leg during the game which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Meizan recovered just in time for the next season. However, he tore his ACL again and was forced to miss his redshirt junior season.
After two season-ending injuries in consecutive years, there are a multitude of things that are considered.
“Competitively maybe, I had some doubts in mind like ‘Can I come back?’ because after the first one I was starting to feel good," he said. "I don’t know if I can go through the same process again.”
As Miezan missed another year for the Lancers due to these unfortunate circumstances, his sheer love for the game of soccer took over his mindset.
“I just wanted to come back and be able to play again, even if it’s not competitively," he said. "I just wanted to be back and play again even if it’s just for fun because I’ve played soccer all my life.”
During his struggle, Miezan looked to his teammates for support - one of them in particular.
“I had a teammate who also tore his ACL, Andreas, and we were kind of going through it together, and he’s also tore his ACL twice, and he’s also trying to come back," Miezan said. "We were always kind of pushing each other to try to come back.”
Miezan, in times of hardship, also looked to his father for guidance. His father participated in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, representing the Ivory Coast as a track and field athlete, and today works as a track and field coach.
“As far as being a hard worker it doesn’t get any crazier than my dad," Meizan said. "When I was hurt, he was the one always telling me ‘Don’t worry about what happened in the past, try and focus on what you can do to fix it next time, or what you can do to move on from it.’ I really look up to my dad, and he’s the biggest influence in my life.”
As Miezan returns for his final season in a Lancers uniform, Atkinson is excited for the possibilities Miezan’s talent brings.
“Willy's got goals in him. He’s got a threat," Atkinson said. "He’s got an attention grabbing or-ah, that’s going to open up space for other people as well.”
With excitement also comes a grade of caution to keep Miezan’s durability high throughout the season.
“Having him back on the field, our expectation is not to push Willy too high. We want to have him throughout the season,” Atkinson said.
Miezan does have a few last wishes for the season that he and his teammates hope to achieve.
"My goal is to be able to win the Big South as a team before I leave. Two years ago we came pretty close, and just watching it and not being able to do anything, just watching from the sidelines was harsh," Miezan said.
Miezan helped the Lancers inch closer to the goal of a Big South title as he was able to find the back of the net for his first goal since returning, in the squads 4-2 victory at UNC Asheville on Sept. 22, and also added two more goals in the team's loss to Radford on Sept. 29.
Finally healthy as the season progresses, Willy Miezan gets to write his own story on how his Longwood career will end and read on the stat sheet, not the injury report.
Willy Miezan started the 2018 season where he left off prior to his injuries, scoring two goals against Radford on Saturday night