Student-Athlete Spotlight: Michelle Belcher
The Bridgewater State Bears women’s soccer team is off to great start. One of its stars is senior captain Michelle Belcher. Belcher is a forward for the Bears. She is in her 4th year as a Secondary Education and Mathematics double major.
In her freshman year, she played soccer at Millersville University of Pennsylvania where she started 20 games and scored nine goals with two assists in 2019. Last season, she scored 11 goals and had six assists for the Bears. She also was on the 2021 All-MASCAC Women’s Soccer First team with three other members of Bears Soccer.
Belcher graduated from Norton High School where she played varsity girls soccer all four years and was captain her senior year. Belcher also ran for the Norton High track team for her first two seasons.
Belcher had a four-game point streak from September 6th to September 17th including three games with two goals each, in the stretch she scored six goals and had four assists. This propelled her to win the MASCAC Player of the Week award two straight weeks.
“I’m very happy with it, and I feel that I put the effort in.” Belcher said.
She also mentioned that her teammates have been pushing her at practices and gamed, helping her become a better player. Belcher currently has eight goals and six assists on the season, after another two goals and two assists in in the win against Roger Williams on September 28th.
Belcher was looking for a stronger leadership role in the team both on and off the field. Belcher wants to be the vocal leader on the field and be a good role model for her teammates. Also, she wants to set a good example for her teammates academically. Belcher was one of 230 Bears athletes on the 2021 MASCAC All-Academic Team, where student-athletes have at least a 3.20 GPA to qualify.
Belcher commented on the team’s season where she said, “it has been very good, lots of highs, and we have grown as a team mentally and physically.” Belcher said the goal for the season is to win the MASCAC Conference championship, a feat the team has not accomplished since 2013.
Belcher hopes to become a middle school teacher and to pursue a master’s degree in Secondary Education, and she hopes a future in coaching soccer accompanies her teaching.
