Abigail Wood commits to D1 soccer at Loyola University Maryland
Sat. Dec. 17 2022, Wood (Player 19) and her team plays against Oxnard, scoring five goals. “My competitiveness was at an all time high because in the past Oxnard has been serious competition, I was feeling pretty antsy, probably could have run a marathon.” Wood said.
January 27, 2023
Water sprinkles over the deep green field while the sharp-bladed grass moistens. The floodlights burn bright, shining down the field. Senior Abigail Wood focuses directly at the goal, heart pounding. Wood kicks the soccer ball as it rapidly spins into the roped net.
At the age of six, Wood was influenced to play soccer when both her closest siblings were coached under her father, Ken Wood. Wood loves to run and joins track and field during the off-season.
“Playing soccer has been difficult, to say the least,” Wood said. “At times it is a very time-consuming sport and I know a lot of athletes can say that trying to balance academics, soccer, just other aspects of my life and making sure I’m not disregarding other things has been a challenge for me because I’m not the best at that.”
In 2021, during two Buena vs. Ventura soccer matches, Wood scored the winning goal 1-0. It was sudden death at the semi-final CIF soccer match, Wood received a penalty kick and was able to shoot the ball into the goal resulting in a win for the team.
“She’s stronger than I’ve ever seen her,” junior Amalia Nolan said. “I’m just really proud of her and happy for the growth that she’s had because she did overcome a lot of stuff. So just watching her now and seeing that she’s exceeding a lot just makes me happy for her and she has grown a lot.”
Throughout the years, Wood has made many close friendships, including Nolan and sophomore Kimberly Chavarria. Wood inspires her teammates and continues to do so to this day.
“She’s just an incredible player,” Chavarria said. “She shows what it is to be a bulldog here at Buena and she’s just an inspiration to everyone. Honestly, I love her. She’s an amazing friend, she’s an amazing teammate and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to welcome me into the school and welcome me into the soccer program.”
In Sept. 2022, Wood got a job working at a doggy daycare. Wood also loves to craft jewelry, sketch, bake, and listen to pop folk music from Hozier and The Lumineers.
“I love music,” Wood said. “I see my brother play the drums, the piano, his guitar, everything and he sings. I sit there and I’m like you’re crazy. How do you do that? I want to learn.”
In soccer matches, Wood plays left forward and on occasion center forward. Now Wood has committed to play Diversion I at Loyola, Maryland University.
“I decided to play for Loyola because when I walked onto the campus I just had a good feeling, I felt like I belonged there,” Wood said. “My sister lives close by and I actually have a friend on the team who used to play for my same club before she graduated and went to Loyola.”
