If you look at the Marquette women’s soccer cumulative stats sheet, you will notice two center backs who have played and started almost every game together — junior Adrianna Alberts and senior Mia Haertle.
That’s not a coincidence.
“Our backline is fantastic, particularly Mia Haertle and Dree (Adrianna) Alberts,” Allen said after Marquette’s 1-1 draw with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sept. 15. “Our two center backs, the absolute rock and foundation of what we’re doing… They’re willing to take the hits for their team, and it shows a lot of good leadership.”
The duo has played a combined 2,848 minutes and counting this season. Between them, there have been 19 instances where either Alberts or Haertle have played the full 90 minutes.
This extended amount of playing time isn’t new for Haertle, a veteran who has logged 4,562 minutes and owned over 60 appearances for Marquette in her collegiate career. Last season, she played every single minute of every single game.
“Mia’s like the rock of our team,” senior goalkeeper Chloe Olson said. “We can always count on her. If she needs to make a big tackle, she’s going to make it… She has such a commanding presence back there… She’s just a great all-around player, and any goalkeeper would be lucky to have her on the field in front of them.”
On the other hand, this is Alberts’s first season seeing the field consistently. The Brookfield, Wisconsin native only played a combined 30 minutes in her first two years at Marquette.
But this past spring, Haertle said she knew that things were going to be different for Alberts this year.
“Dree’s is very composed throughout the game,” Haertle said. “She does not panic ever. Allen definitely saw her composure, and she’s had it the past two years too. She’s able to play one-two touch. She can encourage, but also correct people’s mistakes on the field.
“She showed how experienced she was and how she could handle this position as a center back throughout the spring.”
Alberts said that Haertle has always been a mentor to her, motivating her to be her best self this season.
“(Her) sophomore year, she (Mia) had her year, and my eyes were always on Mia on the field,” Alberts said. “She was in my opinion the best player, and same with my sophomore year… I was like, ‘Now, this is my time to play, and I want to be like Mia. I want to show that I am more than what I was looked at.’”
Haertle’s response?
“You deserve it,” she said as they smiled at each other.
As a goalkeeper, Olson gets a front seat to how the two center backs operate, and she said the strong bond between Alberts and Haertle is why they work so well together.
“They really rely on and trust each other,” Olson said. “When one of them is going up to pressure the ball and step, the other always has the other person’s back. When you have that understanding of each other as players, it allows you to be more creative and make more plays because you can rely on the person next to you to fall in and cover you when you need.”
It’s not just Olson who has observed this connection.
“Mia brings this servant leadership characteristic… Dree brings the freaking edge,” Allen said. “I think they complement each other really well, and it made us special defending all season long.”
During games, Haertle said she and Alberts are always on the same page, which allows them to be good leaders for the rest of their teammates.
“We’re both two very composed players, but we both are able to hold the rest of the team accountable on the field,” Haertle said. “We’ve earned the respect of our teammates to be able to hold others accountable, but we’re both able to speak to them in order to solve the issue, and then, they listen.
“But we’re also open to criticism to us as well, so we’ve created that relationship of trust that goes both ways on and off the field.”
This season marks the duo’s final year playing together as Haertle graduates this spring.
“Being next to each other, it’s brought us together a lot, especially off the field,” Alberts said. “And just having her as a person that I can go talk to about anything and knowing she’s going to be there. Her words are so amazing.
“She just knows what she’s going to say, and it’s the best thing you could have possibly said in that moment… On the field, I’m going to miss my mentor, the person I look up to most.”
Although this is the last year he is going to be able to coach both of them, Allen said he is lucky to have Alberts and Haertle on the team.
“I’d be proud if my kids were half the character that Mia and Dree are,” Allen said. “They are just amazing students, they’re amazing people (and) they’re amazing leaders. And I love that they’re getting the opportunity to really be special on the soccer field.”
This story was written by Kaylynn Wright. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @KaylynnWrightMU.
