Chelsea Berry sat in the family living room, cradling a younger Taylor Haenlin when Chelsea was 12 years old.

“Taylor was the first person I ever babysat. I can remember holding her in my arms,” Berry said. “She was pretty easy to handle.”

The evening hangout marked the beginning of a relationship between the two Lowville, N.Y., natives. Berry, who played for SU from 2006-2009, remained an influential figure throughout Haenlin’s childhood, acting as a mentor both on and off the soccer field.

Now a sophomore, Haenlin is blazing her own trail as a starting member of the Orange defense. Haenlin, who learned from her experiences with Berry, has blossomed at the collegiate level. She has played an important role in anchoring a gritty SU defense, and her determination will be on display when Syracuse (4-5-1, 0-3-1 Atlantic Coast) faces Clemson (5-2-2, 2-1-0) on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Wake Forest (7-1-1, 2-1-1) on Sunday at noon at the SU Soccer Stadium.

Haenlin has always expressed enthusiasm about playing soccer, a sentiment she acquired while acting as the ball girl for Lowville Academy’s varsity program, Berry said. Berry, who played varsity for the Red Raiders, vividly remembers Haenlin’s eagerness to help during those team practices.

“She was always the one on the sidelines that, you know, when all the other kids would be sitting on the balls, she would be running up and down the sidelines,” Berry said. “She did whatever she could to help. I thought she was always such an overachiever.”

As a sixth-grader at Lowville Academy, Haenlin sat in the school auditorium with the rest of the ball girls and fixed her eyes on the stage. She watched with great excitement as her role model Berry signed a Letter of Intent to play at Syracuse.

From that point, Haenlin knew she wanted to follow in Berry’s footsteps. Syracuse was her destination.

“I always wanted to be like her,” Haenlin said. “Once she (signed), it really set an example and made me think that even though we are from a small town, we can still play at a high level.”

Berry was instrumental in SU’s recruitment of Haenlin. Berry developed a personal relationship with head coach Phil Wheddon, who took over the Orange in the spring of 2008, and praised Haenlin’s potential because of her athleticism and drive to succeed.

Wheddon watched Haenlin play for Empire United, Berry’s former club team that was then known as the Syracuse Blitz, and noticed a common thread that entwined the two players: their passion and level of commitment.

“Chelsea told me repeatedly about Taylor and how she wanted to play for Syracuse. Her family bled orange,” Wheddon recalled. “Chelsea was more of a mentor to Taylor, so it was good to have that connection.”

Haenlin stepped into an experienced lineup as a freshman and got exposed a few times because of the speed of play, Wheddon said. But Haenlin adjusted to the learning curve and played a pivotal role in defining SU’s sound defensive identity.

This season, the Orange has relied on Haenlin’s experience at the center back position to complement an already solid defensive unit.

Wheddon referenced SU’s last game against Duke, when the leader of the defense, Kayla Afonso, suffered a hip pointer in the first half and did not return. Haenlin rallied the defense and stepped up in the second half, stifling the Blue Devils’ forwards.

Wheddon said he also values Haenlin’s unique, dual-threat ability to shut down forwards and serve a dangerous throw-in from the sidelines.

Berry has yet to see her longtime friend play a game this season, as she’s been tending to her 2-month-old daughter Mareesa Lynn. But Berry is considering attending the game against Wake Forest on Sunday.

If she does, she’ll be reminded how much soccer has defined her cherished relationship with Haenlin.

“I remember when Taylor signed (with Syracuse). I went and watched her in the auditorium. … It was pretty emotional,” Berry said. “It made me realize how lucky we were to experience something like that.”

Published on September 26, 2013 at 2:06 am