Oswego’s Mane Brolley has completed her transformation from being a wide-eyed newcomer. As a result, the sophomore forward no longer questions whether she deserves her place at the table.
And so far this season? She has been feasting on the competition.
“I’m much more confident now about my game and my role on the team,” Brolley said, beaming. “Being a freshman last year felt kind of scary. And now, I know that I fit in.
“When I get that ball at the top of the box, I’m able to create space for myself and take a shot.”
Brolley put away a bunch of shots Tuesday, scoring three goals and adding an assist for the visiting Panthers in an 8-0 Southwest Prairie Conference victory over Bolingbrook.
Freshman forward Elizabeth Johnson also scored twice for Oswego (14-1, 7-0).
Brolley was the catalyst in scoring the first and third goals for a 5-0 halftime. Senior midfielder Peyton Brolley, Mane’s sister, continues to be impressed by her teammate and sibling.
“She’s incredibly hardworking and she works for everyone else,” Peyton said of Mane. “She practices so much on her own to be the best that she can be.
“I first noticed something special about her during the pandemic. There were times it’d be raining or snowing and we’d be out playing every single day, all day long, never coming inside.”
Senior defender Peyton Johnson, Elizabeth’s older sister, is Oswego’s other team leader.
Peyton Johnson has watched the younger Brolley make the leap in her second varsity season.
“I think she’s finding the right balance of being selfish and taking her moments where she’s able and also creating for her teammates,” Peyton Johnson said. “We saw a glimpse of it last year.
“But now, she’s really been making good choices on the ball.”
Mane Brolley has 16 goals and five assists this season. Senior forward Jordyn Washington, who also scored Tuesday, has a team-best 17 goals.
Brolley made an immediate impact as a freshman with nine goals and seven assists. Besides natural ability and instinct, she’s also versatile, toggling between playing up top or in the middle.
”I think I’m really creative and highly technical,” she said. “I think about that a lot and I work on that. When I get the ball in the open, I like to dribble and shoot.”
Her high IQ for the game is almost genetic. She started playing at age 2. Chris Brolley, her father, is the girls soccer coach at conference rival Minooka.
In what must have made for a very interesting dinner conversation, Mane scored two goals in the Panthers’ 4-0 victory over the Indians in the March 23 conference opener.
“We didn’t talk about it too much,” Peyton Brolley joked.
Mane was hyped for her own brand of revenge after losing 1-0 last season against her father.
“I really wanted to have bragging rights and score in that game because I know how hard he works,” she said. “It’s fun talking with him when he plays a team that we’re going to play later in the season and find out who’s good on the other team.”
Soccer also helps with the emotional bonding between the Brolley sisters. Mane was coached by her father in club when she was younger. She does take the game seriously, but that has its place.
“She’s incredibly funny and always making jokes,” Peyton said of her younger sister. “She has this incredible ability to always keep everyone laughing.”
Friendly and open but naturally quiet, the game is her ultimate form of expression.
“With my friends, I’m really outgoing and I talk with everyone,” she said. “When I’m by myself, I’m more quiet.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
