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Sally Rainey received the dream-fulfilling offer while surrounded by family at her grandma Rose’s house.
The Lebanon resident got an email from Italian soccer power AC Milan, expressing the club’s interest in her joining its women’s team.
After giving it some thought, talking to the club and those she trusts in the professional soccer world, the 23-year-old goalkeeper signed a three-year deal with AC Milan that was announced on July 27. The contract runs through June 30, 2029.
“Playing here in Milan is an opportunity that I’ve literally dreamed of so it was easy to not pass up,” Rainey said, “and they (contacts she spoke to) all just gave me really good professional advice that having stability and having a club that wants to invest in you like Milan is sometimes rare.”
AC Milan plays in Serie A, which is the top women’s soccer league in Italy and considered one of the most competitive in the world.
Rainey, a Lebanon High School and University of New Hampshire graduate, has spent the past few weeks training with her new club. AC Milan’s season starts on Aug. 22 against Como.
Rainey is one of three goalkeepers on the roster. She was brought in to back up starter Sandra Estevez.
“Obviously, being a goalkeeper is a unique position but we call our training group a goalkeeper union,” Rainey said. “Just being a part of that and knowing my job is to make her better and in turn I will get better, too.”
This upcoming season will be Rainey’s second as a professional. She spent this past spring helping Red Star Belgrade win its third consecutive Serbian Women’s Super League championship.
UNH’s career goals-against average (0.78) record holder, Rainey said she learned with Red Star Belgrade that professional forwards strike the ball a lot differently than those in college.
“The forwards have been training as forwards their whole life,” said Rainey, who played her graduate-student season at Indiana University last fall. “Sometimes in college you are an outside back and then you go play forward or whatever. They don’t just shoot the ball. They really try to finish the ball, which is hard for me as a goalkeeper.”
Rainey played in both regular-season and playoff games for Red Star Belgrade, which prioritized building from out of the back. Playing that style, Rainey improved her foot skills — from goal kicks to helping her teammates deal with pressure in their own end.
The trust Rainey’s teammates showed in her to play the ball built her confidence in an area of her game that she worked on throughout college.
“Seeing it almost come to life and having people trust you and almost rely on you for that style of play was helpful as a player,” Rainey said.
Over her brief time training with AC Milan, Rainey has learned from Estevez, who Rainey said is excellent with her feet. Estevez, who is from Spain, often turns to her fellow two goalies for their advice or perspective.
When talking with the team during the signing process, Rainey said AC Milan thought that she could help Estevez improve and prepare the starters as a scout team goalie.
“Everybody wants to play but I also think that practices then become a really good place to grow and try new things that I wouldn’t normally try,” Rainey said of her role. “This is my time, my chance to improve so (I’m) just really dialing in on little details and figuring out my identity — how far I want to come out for things, how I want to talk to my back line, things that I think sometimes get a little bit overshadowed but, in the end, those details really make or break games and saves and goals.”
This season will be an adjustment – it’ll be the highest level that Rainey has played at — but she’s excited to put in the work, thanks in part to the dedication she’s already seen from her teammates and coaches.
“It’s just cool to see people who are so driven,” Rainey said. “It really is something that I feel like motivates me and makes me want to be my best because I see all the people around me working their hardest every day and trying to do that as well.”
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The Lebanon resident got an email from Italian soccer power AC Milan, expressing the club’s interest in her joining its women’s team.
After giving it some thought, talking to the club and those she trusts in the professional soccer world, the 23-year-old goalkeeper signed a three-year deal with AC Milan that was announced on July 27. The contract runs through June 30, 2029.
“Playing here in Milan is an opportunity that I’ve literally dreamed of so it was easy to not pass up,” Rainey said, “and they (contacts she spoke to) all just gave me really good professional advice that having stability and having a club that wants to invest in you like Milan is sometimes rare.”
AC Milan plays in Serie A, which is the top women’s soccer league in Italy and considered one of the most competitive in the world.
Rainey, a Lebanon High School and University of New Hampshire graduate, has spent the past few weeks training with her new club. AC Milan’s season starts on Aug. 22 against Como.
Rainey is one of three goalkeepers on the roster. She was brought in to back up starter Sandra Estevez.
“Obviously, being a goalkeeper is a unique position but we call our training group a goalkeeper union,” Rainey said. “Just being a part of that and knowing my job is to make her better and in turn I will get better, too.”
This upcoming season will be Rainey’s second as a professional. She spent this past spring helping Red Star Belgrade win its third consecutive Serbian Women’s Super League championship.
UNH’s career goals-against average (0.78) record holder, Rainey said she learned with Red Star Belgrade that professional forwards strike the ball a lot differently than those in college.
“The forwards have been training as forwards their whole life,” said Rainey, who played her graduate-student season at Indiana University last fall. “Sometimes in college you are an outside back and then you go play forward or whatever. They don’t just shoot the ball. They really try to finish the ball, which is hard for me as a goalkeeper.”
Rainey played in both regular-season and playoff games for Red Star Belgrade, which prioritized building from out of the back. Playing that style, Rainey improved her foot skills — from goal kicks to helping her teammates deal with pressure in their own end.
The trust Rainey’s teammates showed in her to play the ball built her confidence in an area of her game that she worked on throughout college.
“Seeing it almost come to life and having people trust you and almost rely on you for that style of play was helpful as a player,” Rainey said.
Over her brief time training with AC Milan, Rainey has learned from Estevez, who Rainey said is excellent with her feet. Estevez, who is from Spain, often turns to her fellow two goalies for their advice or perspective.
When talking with the team during the signing process, Rainey said AC Milan thought that she could help Estevez improve and prepare the starters as a scout team goalie.
“Everybody wants to play but I also think that practices then become a really good place to grow and try new things that I wouldn’t normally try,” Rainey said of her role. “This is my time, my chance to improve so (I’m) just really dialing in on little details and figuring out my identity — how far I want to come out for things, how I want to talk to my back line, things that I think sometimes get a little bit overshadowed but, in the end, those details really make or break games and saves and goals.”
This season will be an adjustment – it’ll be the highest level that Rainey has played at — but she’s excited to put in the work, thanks in part to the dedication she’s already seen from her teammates and coaches.
“It’s just cool to see people who are so driven,” Rainey said. “It really is something that I feel like motivates me and makes me want to be my best because I see all the people around me working their hardest every day and trying to do that as well.”
[email protected]
Continue reading...
