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Mia Klammer will never forget December 1, 2023. Her team, The College of Saint Rose, which entered its Division II NCAA Tournament third-round matchup undefeated, had lost via penalty kicks to Adelphi University.

The loss also came just one day after the school’s board voted to close the 103-year-old university at the end of 2024, making it the final game in program history. The news forced Klammer to look elsewhere for her senior year.

Klammer chose to transfer to Syracuse, which desperately needed a scorer following a 2-14-2 season. It was a perfect match for the D-II phenom, who led the nation in points (53) and assists (17) in 2023. Klammer has missed SU’s first two games of the season with a right leg injury, but she’s poised to be a top offensive threat when healthy.

“She has the ability to change games because of how versatile she is,” said Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams. “She can play short combinations and hold the ball. She can get in behind defenders because she’s so fast.”

Starting out at a young age, Klammer often emulated her older sister, Katrina, while playing soccer. Her love for the sport blossomed from watching the United States Women’s National Team, led by her favorite player and star forward Abby Wambach.

Klammer’s passion for the game eventually translated into pure domination. At Mahopac High School (New York), she achieved All-State honors in her junior and senior years. Her performances opened up possibilities for a college career.

She often admired the emotions of NCAA title matches. It led her to want to play for a successful program. With Saint Rose’s consistent deep playoff runs, Klammer decided it was the perfect fit.

“Seeing (Saint Rose) go into the NCAA Tournament every year, it’s something that’s very enticing,” Klammer said. “Especially for me, being as competitive as I am, you don’t want to go to a school that you’re not really going to have a chance. You want to go and try and win it all.”

As a freshman in 2021, Klammer led the Northeast 10 in both goals (14) and points (34). As a result, she was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. Klammer vividly remembers the team’s postseason run that year. She dished the game-winning assist in overtime against Concord University to help Saint Rose advance to the Final Four. The Golden Knights went on to lose in double overtime to Grand Valley State in the national championship.

Klammer’s sophomore campaign saw a dip in scoring, tallying just 12 goals. However, her 15 assists nearly tripled her freshman year production, propelling her to a career-high 39 points. The totals all ranked atop the NE 10.

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By her third year, opponents caught on to Klammer’s increased production and started coming up with strategies to disrupt her.

“It hadn’t been easy for her because she’s garnered so much attention,” said Laurie Darling Gutheil, Klammer’s head coach at Saint Rose. “She could get double teamed, she could get physically targeted off the ball. She took a lot of very aggressive hits that in the FIFA level would have been straight reds.”

Darling Gutheil and Saint Rose decided to get creative. They created plays to highlight Klammer’s strengths and free her up, even scoring numerous goals directly off of her long throw-ins.

“We designed a lot to enhance her impact on the game,” Darling Gutheil said. “We knew where she could change a game and we created as much within our playing style that would emphasize that.”

In 2023, Klammer’s skill along with the strategic adjustments, propelled her into the best season of her career. While leading the nation in points and assists, Klammer was named the D-II Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.

Yet the excitement from her accomplishments came crashing down on Nov. 30. News leaked of Saint Rose shutting down a day before its Sweet 16 matchup with Adelphi. The team was distraught. Klammer remembers Darling Gutheil visibly upset, attempting to console the players and keep them focused on the upcoming match.

“She was in tears, and everybody else was kind of just in shock from hearing that news,” Klammer recalled. “It’s just kind of a difficult emotion to get out, especially for a next-day game that’s so important.”

Against Adelphi, Klammer was held scoreless with one assist and her team fell in penalty kicks. After the loss, Klammer entered the transfer portal and began receiving offers. Adams loved Klammer’s goal-scoring ability and was one of the first to extend an offer. On her official visit to Syracuse last winter, Klammer was amazed by the facilities and openness of the coaches. She committed to SU just a few weeks later.

Klammer’s addition brings necessary offense to a team that saw just one player score more than two goals in 2023 (Erin Flurey, six). Klammer, who scored 44 career goals in three years at Saint Rose, has the prowess to improve the unit tremendously in 2024.

“We have needed Mia to score goals and that’s what she’s been doing consistently at practice, either scoring goals or setting up players,” Adams said.

In her first year at Syracuse, Klammer’s goal is to push herself more than ever. She realizes it will be hard against stiffer competition, but she wants to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.

“Having the season that I did at Saint Rose, I know it’s going to be difficult, but I want to have a season that would mirror that one,” Klammer said. “I just want to be able to be there for the team and be the best player I can be.”

Published on August 21, 2024 at 10:15 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu