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Alex Holman doesn’t believe she’ll ever outgrow pregame jitters.
But Holman carried what she considers the greatest possible motivator into the Maryland Charm’s WLL Championship Game on Sunday evening in Subaru Park: motherhood.
“Becoming a parent, it’s just not about you anymore,” Holman said. “It’s about something else and someone else that matters so much more. I actually think that unlocks a superpower in sport because it makes you just believe and not care what happens because there’s so much more to life. You just value the competition, your teammates and the moment.”
Less than 10 months after giving birth to her son, Tiger, Holman netted a hat trick to lift Maryland to a 16-13 victory over the California Palms in the inaugural league title game. Holman’s third tally with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner.
“We never wavered, and even earlier this morning when there were nerves, it was just like we’d already won this game,” Holman said. “We know we’re going to work hard. We know who’s going to show up. We know we’re going to give it our all. So to have the outcome actually reflect that and take care of business is incredible.”
For team captain and goalie Caylee Waters, Holman’s play embodied Maryland’s culture.
“Shout out Alex — she’s a gamer,” Waters said. “There’s someone different in each game that can inspire you. It might be different for everyone, but that’s the Charm way. We lift each other up and we praise each other on and off the field. …
“She gets her chance on the field — it doesn’t matter that it’s a championship game — she loves the sport, she loves us, she wanted it for all the right reasons and she freaking delivered. Those were game-changing goals, and they were team goals.”
As she reflected on Holman’s performance, Charm midfielder Ally Kennedy said she’s “never been more inspired.”
“It is so f—ing badass,” Kennedy said. “Women are doing it running track, they’re doing it playing soccer and now we have women doing it playing lacrosse. It’s so f—ing cool that my career doesn’t have to end because I want to start a family. It can continue, and you can drop a hatty like it’s no one’s f—ing business.”
Holman returned to Maryland’s active roster for the team’s May 29 season opener following just seven months of maternity leave.
While she didn’t register a point in four regular-season games, Holman took on an unofficial player-coach role, holding the iPad on the sidelines and helping break down teaching moments for her teammates.
“To have the opportunity to watch her come back from postpartum, I’ve experienced it myself, and it’s not an easy task,” Charm coach Emily Parros said. “Just the work she has put in and the leadership she brings to this team is intangible.”
Parros, who first crossed paths with Holman more than 15 years ago, knew Holman’s impact extended far beyond the field. Holman and Parros were competitors in the ACC from 2010 to 2013, with Holman playing for Maryland and Parros representing North Carolina.
At the season’s most decisive juncture, Parros called on her former college rival to step into the limelight.
“Did she not get a ton of time in the beginning of the season? No, she didn’t, but she never made it about her,” Parros said. “When things mattered, and when I needed leaders on the field, that’s who Alex is through and through. To have another coach who sees things slower than everybody else — I have to have her. I had to have her on the field.”
While her goal-scoring flurry captured the headlines, Holman provided the tone-setter for her championship masterclass with early tenacity on the ride.
With just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Holman unleashed a precise stick check on Palms defender Kayla Wood, jarring the ball free and corralling possession. She then fed midfielder Brigid Duffy, who assisted on the second of game MVP Sydni Black’s four goals. Holman’s hustle helped jolt a 5-1 Maryland run.
“I’ve always been like, ‘Just compete. Just go after it,’” Holman said. “I’ve never been someone that gets juiced from scoring. It’s like, ‘How can you make your teammates better? How can you get those caused turnovers?’ It felt a little vintage, honestly. I don’t think I’ve gotten a caused turnover probably since 2013.”
Sixteen years after she hoisted a national title as a freshman with the Terrapins in 2010, Holman again wore Maryland on her jersey as she and her teammates lifted the historic first WLL Championship trophy.
It’s a moment Holman could’ve hardly envisioned when she began her journey back to the sport.
“I couldn’t imagine being away from my son and coming back to doing the sport that I love with anyone else,” Holman said. “It’s just really special, and I’m just so grateful and can’t believe it. I can’t believe my son was there today to watch.”
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