Photo by: Rebecca Lawson
GoHeels Exclusive: Ru To The Rescue
December 6, 2019 | Women's Soccer, Featured Writers
Dynamic fifth-year senior ending her career at another College Cup
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Moments before one of the North Carolina women's soccer team's matches earlier this season, Anson Dorrance started to address his reserves, when suddenly he paused.
So many times already, the members of his second unit had come up big. So many times they'd delivered when needed most. Because of that, Dorrance, who's never hesitated to play his depth, stopped himself when he started to call them "reserves."
In that moment, he decided they deserved a more fitting title. And it didn't take him long to come up with one that's stuck, said fifth-year senior forward Ru Mucherera.
"He was like, 'You know what? No. You guys are our freaking game-changers,'" Mucherera recalled this week. "Every single one of you who have gone on the field as a reserve, you've literally changed the game, whether you're scoring, assisting, making a run to open the lane, defending. The level doesn't go down when you come on – sometimes it even gets higher.'"
Throughout UNC's run to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, where it'll face Washington State at 7 p.m. EST Friday in San Jose, California, Dorrance and the starters have stressed the game-changers' importance. All of them have made crucial plays. But their leader, Mucherera, has arguably been the most impactful.
She's also been one of the most improved players in the country.
Entering this season, Mucherera had tallied three goals and four assists in 58 games. In playing in all 25 games this year, only one of which she started, she's set career highs of five goals and six assists. Both marks are tied for fifth on the team. She's also tied for fifth in points with 16.
To fully understand what she means to the Tar Heels, though, you have to watch her play. The energy she brings, both on and off the pitch, is constant. It's contagious, too.
"When the game-changers come in, Ru sets a bar," said senior forward Bridgette Andrzejewski. "Ru is not coming in quietly and doing it; she's coming in loudly, in a great way. And it wouldn't be Ru if you couldn't hear her. I think once she comes in, she not only does it physically, but she does it verbally. That's what has really helped not just herself on the soccer field, but everyone around her when she brings in the game-changers with her.
"All the starters are really thankful for her because we don't want there to be a drop and Anson doesn't want there to be a drop and I think she really sets the level high."
Mucherera isn't one of Carolina's three captains; Taylor Otto, Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy are. But that doesn't matter to Mucherera. Nor does it keep her from constantly setting an example for her teammates, especially her fellow game-changers.
She does accomplish that vocally. Primarily, though, she tries to lead by the way she works, always going full speed.
"I'm going to go out and give it my all," she said. "If somebody sees that and they like that and they feed off it, then I did my job. I'm happy and satisfied because they're like, 'Ru, you do this, you do that.' And I'm like, 'That's just how I play. It's nothing new. It's nothing special.' I'm going to go into every game and I'm going to go into every practice with that mentality."
She always has.
Both of Mucherera's parents, Tapiwa and Bertha, are natives of Zimbabwe, where Tapiwa played soccer growing up. Her father introduced her to the sport when she was three. And while she enjoyed playing others – such as basketball, football and golf – soccer was always her favorite.
Before long, Mucherera started dreaming of playing professionally. Her parents, she said, have always supported her and have been there to remind her of what it will take.
"My dad has always been the one pushing me," she said, "like, 'Well, if you want to do it, go for it. Whatever path you decide, we're going to support you and we'll be fine with it. If you really want to play soccer, though, you've got to put your all into it. You can't just go through the motions. If it's something you're serious about, go after it.'"
So, she did. And by the time she enrolled at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Fla., she began thinking she might be able to turn her dream into a reality.
As a sophomore, Mucherera said choosing a college wasn't on her radar. But with several schools showing interest, her club coach suggested she start making a list of places she'd be interested in. Eventually, he told her to turn that list into a chart, with categories such as academics, coaching and community. For each category, he said to give each school a score of one to five, with five being the best, and then use the final results to get an idea of what she was looking for.
That exercise, she said, helped her narrow down her list to three schools: Florida, Wake Forest and UNC. She visited all three over spring break. But before she even made her last stop, she knew she wanted to be a Tar Heel.
Even then, Mucherera said she didn't know what that entailed. Growing up just a short drive from UCF's campus, she'd watched the Knights play. She hadn't paid much attention to any other teams, though, including the Tar Heels. So she wasn't sure what awaited her when she enrolled at Carolina in 2015.
"I was curious to see how this environment would be because I didn't know what to expect …" she said. "But then I got here and it was the complete opposite (of some places). They make you feel so welcome. You're like, 'Wow, they're a family here. They want you to feel a part of the team already, even though you've been here for a week or two days.'"
As a freshman, Mucherera battled through injuries to play in 12 games. She then played in all 25 during a sophomore campaign that culminated at the 2016 College Cup, also held in San Jose.
The following year, she seemed poised for a larger role after a strong preseason. And she showed why in the season opener against Duke, playing 19 quality minutes off the bench. Unfortunately, her season came to an abrupt end just three days later, when she tore an ACL in practice.
The next few months, she said, were filled with two weight-room sessions almost every day, countless hours in the training room and nearly as much time spent on mundane exercises she did on her own. Some days were good, others bad. In the case of the latter, Emily Fox, who also tore an ACL that season, and Greg Gatz, the director of strength and conditioning for UNC's Olympic sports, helped her push through.
By always ensuring she did some exercises, including less strenuous ones on days when she was hurting, Mucherera said Gatz was pivotal in her recovery.
"If I hadn't had that (extra shove), I kind of would've just been going through the motions," she said, "I probably wouldn't have been as strong as I needed to be, I wouldn't have been doing all the extra stuff I needed to do on my own on the side."
Two years later, she's enjoying the breakout season that once seemed coming.
As little attention as she's paid to the role she's been in each season, Mucherera has spent just as much time dwelling on the individual stats she's posted this year. She's more concentrated on the team's success and all the minute details.
"This year, this isn't about me," she said. "Just do your job and everything else will fall into place, whether it's me scoring, whether it's me assisting, whether it's me opening the lane for somebody else to get the ball and then they score. It's just little things like that that have played the biggest factor in my senior season."
That said, one performance in particular stands out.
Last season's 1-0 loss to Florida State in the national championship game has motivated the Tar Heels all year. But their anger wasn't more palpable than it was October 24 when the Seminoles visited Chapel Hill. Carolina was determined to exact some measure of revenge that night. And Mucherera ensured it did, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 76th minute of the 2-0 win.
As soon as her name was announced after she scored, a familiar guttural sound rose up through 3,000 voices at Dorrance Field.
"Ruuuuuu!" the crowd roared.
So many times throughout her career, Mucherera has heard that chant. UNC fans surely haven't missed an opportunity to do it, whether it's been after she's scored, assisted on a goal, made another aggressive tackle or simply entered the game.
"I think it's so funny," she said of the cheer. "I love it, but at the same time I hate it. Everyone is always teasing me like, 'Ru, you're the most loved player. Everyone is yelling your name.'"
It's not just the fans who have yelled it, though. Her teammates have, too. Dorrance would be the first to tell you Mucherera is one of the most popular players on the team. Not only is she selfless, Andrzejewski said, but she takes the time to connect with everyone.
"She really brings out a person's best qualities on the soccer field because she really talks positively to them," Andrzejewski said. "I think that's what people really cherish about Ru and definitely will miss when she's gone because it's going to be a little quieter when she's gone. People are going to definitely notice it, even the whole stadium."
Mucherera said it still hasn't quite hit her that her time as a Tar Heel is almost up. But she's started planning for the future.
Recently, she declared for the National Women's Soccer League Draft, held in January. No matter which team drafts her, she said she'd be happy, knowing she'd be fulfilling her dream. Even if she isn't selected, she plans to keep playing overseas.
"From there, I'll play for as long as I can, as long as I want and then move on to the next thing," she said.
That next thing will certainly be in sports. An exercise and sports science major, she said she came to Carolina thinking she might pursue becoming a sports agent. She's since decided that wouldn't be a good fit for her. But she knows she wants to coach at some point, and has entertained the idea of one day being an athletic director or general manager.
Mucherera isn't concerned about any of that right now, though. For the third time in her career, she stands two wins away from a national title. And she intends to fulfill her role, one especially suited for her, in helping the program capture its 22nd NCAA championship.
"Ru changes games – and we need that," said sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto earlier this season. "That's what makes her so unique and so special. As a senior, she's going to leave her mark on this program. Every game we can count on her to show up."
Moments before one of the North Carolina women's soccer team's matches earlier this season, Anson Dorrance started to address his reserves, when suddenly he paused.
So many times already, the members of his second unit had come up big. So many times they'd delivered when needed most. Because of that, Dorrance, who's never hesitated to play his depth, stopped himself when he started to call them "reserves."
In that moment, he decided they deserved a more fitting title. And it didn't take him long to come up with one that's stuck, said fifth-year senior forward Ru Mucherera.
"He was like, 'You know what? No. You guys are our freaking game-changers,'" Mucherera recalled this week. "Every single one of you who have gone on the field as a reserve, you've literally changed the game, whether you're scoring, assisting, making a run to open the lane, defending. The level doesn't go down when you come on – sometimes it even gets higher.'"
Throughout UNC's run to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, where it'll face Washington State at 7 p.m. EST Friday in San Jose, California, Dorrance and the starters have stressed the game-changers' importance. All of them have made crucial plays. But their leader, Mucherera, has arguably been the most impactful.
She's also been one of the most improved players in the country.
Entering this season, Mucherera had tallied three goals and four assists in 58 games. In playing in all 25 games this year, only one of which she started, she's set career highs of five goals and six assists. Both marks are tied for fifth on the team. She's also tied for fifth in points with 16.
To fully understand what she means to the Tar Heels, though, you have to watch her play. The energy she brings, both on and off the pitch, is constant. It's contagious, too.
"When the game-changers come in, Ru sets a bar," said senior forward Bridgette Andrzejewski. "Ru is not coming in quietly and doing it; she's coming in loudly, in a great way. And it wouldn't be Ru if you couldn't hear her. I think once she comes in, she not only does it physically, but she does it verbally. That's what has really helped not just herself on the soccer field, but everyone around her when she brings in the game-changers with her.
"All the starters are really thankful for her because we don't want there to be a drop and Anson doesn't want there to be a drop and I think she really sets the level high."
Mucherera isn't one of Carolina's three captains; Taylor Otto, Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy are. But that doesn't matter to Mucherera. Nor does it keep her from constantly setting an example for her teammates, especially her fellow game-changers.
She does accomplish that vocally. Primarily, though, she tries to lead by the way she works, always going full speed.
"I'm going to go out and give it my all," she said. "If somebody sees that and they like that and they feed off it, then I did my job. I'm happy and satisfied because they're like, 'Ru, you do this, you do that.' And I'm like, 'That's just how I play. It's nothing new. It's nothing special.' I'm going to go into every game and I'm going to go into every practice with that mentality."
She always has.
Both of Mucherera's parents, Tapiwa and Bertha, are natives of Zimbabwe, where Tapiwa played soccer growing up. Her father introduced her to the sport when she was three. And while she enjoyed playing others – such as basketball, football and golf – soccer was always her favorite.
Before long, Mucherera started dreaming of playing professionally. Her parents, she said, have always supported her and have been there to remind her of what it will take.
"My dad has always been the one pushing me," she said, "like, 'Well, if you want to do it, go for it. Whatever path you decide, we're going to support you and we'll be fine with it. If you really want to play soccer, though, you've got to put your all into it. You can't just go through the motions. If it's something you're serious about, go after it.'"
So, she did. And by the time she enrolled at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Fla., she began thinking she might be able to turn her dream into a reality.
As a sophomore, Mucherera said choosing a college wasn't on her radar. But with several schools showing interest, her club coach suggested she start making a list of places she'd be interested in. Eventually, he told her to turn that list into a chart, with categories such as academics, coaching and community. For each category, he said to give each school a score of one to five, with five being the best, and then use the final results to get an idea of what she was looking for.
That exercise, she said, helped her narrow down her list to three schools: Florida, Wake Forest and UNC. She visited all three over spring break. But before she even made her last stop, she knew she wanted to be a Tar Heel.
Even then, Mucherera said she didn't know what that entailed. Growing up just a short drive from UCF's campus, she'd watched the Knights play. She hadn't paid much attention to any other teams, though, including the Tar Heels. So she wasn't sure what awaited her when she enrolled at Carolina in 2015.
"I was curious to see how this environment would be because I didn't know what to expect …" she said. "But then I got here and it was the complete opposite (of some places). They make you feel so welcome. You're like, 'Wow, they're a family here. They want you to feel a part of the team already, even though you've been here for a week or two days.'"
As a freshman, Mucherera battled through injuries to play in 12 games. She then played in all 25 during a sophomore campaign that culminated at the 2016 College Cup, also held in San Jose.
The following year, she seemed poised for a larger role after a strong preseason. And she showed why in the season opener against Duke, playing 19 quality minutes off the bench. Unfortunately, her season came to an abrupt end just three days later, when she tore an ACL in practice.
The next few months, she said, were filled with two weight-room sessions almost every day, countless hours in the training room and nearly as much time spent on mundane exercises she did on her own. Some days were good, others bad. In the case of the latter, Emily Fox, who also tore an ACL that season, and Greg Gatz, the director of strength and conditioning for UNC's Olympic sports, helped her push through.
By always ensuring she did some exercises, including less strenuous ones on days when she was hurting, Mucherera said Gatz was pivotal in her recovery.
"If I hadn't had that (extra shove), I kind of would've just been going through the motions," she said, "I probably wouldn't have been as strong as I needed to be, I wouldn't have been doing all the extra stuff I needed to do on my own on the side."
Two years later, she's enjoying the breakout season that once seemed coming.
As little attention as she's paid to the role she's been in each season, Mucherera has spent just as much time dwelling on the individual stats she's posted this year. She's more concentrated on the team's success and all the minute details.
"This year, this isn't about me," she said. "Just do your job and everything else will fall into place, whether it's me scoring, whether it's me assisting, whether it's me opening the lane for somebody else to get the ball and then they score. It's just little things like that that have played the biggest factor in my senior season."
That said, one performance in particular stands out.
Last season's 1-0 loss to Florida State in the national championship game has motivated the Tar Heels all year. But their anger wasn't more palpable than it was October 24 when the Seminoles visited Chapel Hill. Carolina was determined to exact some measure of revenge that night. And Mucherera ensured it did, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 76th minute of the 2-0 win.
As soon as her name was announced after she scored, a familiar guttural sound rose up through 3,000 voices at Dorrance Field.
"Ruuuuuu!" the crowd roared.
So many times throughout her career, Mucherera has heard that chant. UNC fans surely haven't missed an opportunity to do it, whether it's been after she's scored, assisted on a goal, made another aggressive tackle or simply entered the game.
"I think it's so funny," she said of the cheer. "I love it, but at the same time I hate it. Everyone is always teasing me like, 'Ru, you're the most loved player. Everyone is yelling your name.'"
It's not just the fans who have yelled it, though. Her teammates have, too. Dorrance would be the first to tell you Mucherera is one of the most popular players on the team. Not only is she selfless, Andrzejewski said, but she takes the time to connect with everyone.
"She really brings out a person's best qualities on the soccer field because she really talks positively to them," Andrzejewski said. "I think that's what people really cherish about Ru and definitely will miss when she's gone because it's going to be a little quieter when she's gone. People are going to definitely notice it, even the whole stadium."
Mucherera said it still hasn't quite hit her that her time as a Tar Heel is almost up. But she's started planning for the future.
Recently, she declared for the National Women's Soccer League Draft, held in January. No matter which team drafts her, she said she'd be happy, knowing she'd be fulfilling her dream. Even if she isn't selected, she plans to keep playing overseas.
"From there, I'll play for as long as I can, as long as I want and then move on to the next thing," she said.
That next thing will certainly be in sports. An exercise and sports science major, she said she came to Carolina thinking she might pursue becoming a sports agent. She's since decided that wouldn't be a good fit for her. But she knows she wants to coach at some point, and has entertained the idea of one day being an athletic director or general manager.
Mucherera isn't concerned about any of that right now, though. For the third time in her career, she stands two wins away from a national title. And she intends to fulfill her role, one especially suited for her, in helping the program capture its 22nd NCAA championship.
"Ru changes games – and we need that," said sophomore midfielder Brianna Pinto earlier this season. "That's what makes her so unique and so special. As a senior, she's going to leave her mark on this program. Every game we can count on her to show up."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
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