Positioned on the sideline near the scorer�s table, Maddie Hobbs anxiously waited for a stoppage in play. And when that moment finally arrived, a longtime dream was realized.



She officially was a Division I college athlete.



Hobbs, a Portsmouth High School graduate, is a freshman engineering major at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was given the opportunity to join the women�s soccer team. A collegiate athletic career certainly seemed far-fetched, considering she twice tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during high school.



Although she was able play her senior season at Portsmouth, those injuries kept her from being recruited by college coaches. When she arrived at Pittsburgh, she contacted coach Greg Miller and joined the team in something of a managerial role.



During the season, Hobbs shagged balls and set up equipment at practice and assisted in the planning of road games and special events. It wasn�t glamorous work, but it certainly proved to Miller and his staff that she was willing to do whatever it took to be a part of the team.



�It was challenging, because I wanted to be on the team, but I looked at this chance as being the manager as my chance to be around the team,� Hobbs said during a phone interview on Wednesday. �I wanted to prove how much I wanted to be there.�



The coaches took notice, and on Oct. 20 against perennial power North Carolina, Hobbs, wearing a home No. 24 jersey, made her debut. With the Panthers trailing 3-0, she entered the game with five minutes remaining.



�I don�t even have the words to describe it � amazing, unreal, just a dream come true,� said Hobbs, who admitted she never figured to get into a game this season. �I felt extremely grateful for having the opportunity to play against some of the top players in the country. Once I got out there, I was nervous, but I tried to put that in the back of my mind and focus on what I needed to do and do those things well.�



Going forward, Hobbs no longer will serve in that managerial role. She will be more of a traditional walk-on for her final three seasons, putting behind her that disappointment of not being recruited out of high school.



�It was definitely something I�ve always wanted to do, but realistically, I wasn�t sure if it was actually going to happen,� she said of achieving her goal of being a collegiate athlete. �I didn�t think I would get this far, to be honest, but after working hard and getting the opportunity, I was able to make my dream a reality.�



Miller could see just how motivated Hobbs was in her role as a freshman.



"Maddie is a very hard working, coachable, self- driven and physical player," the fifth-year coach said. "She shows up every day not wanting to waste any part of the privilege of being a member of our program."



Although she was injured and had to watch from the sideline, Hobbs was a junior when the Portsmouth girls soccer team won the state championship in 2014, beating La Salle in a penalty kick shootout. The Patriots again downed the Rams on Sunday for their second title in three years, and Hobbs was rooting on her former teammates from afar.



�I was cheering them on the whole way,� she said. �I�m really good friends with a lot of the girls on the team, and I texted a lot of them before the game and was just so excited that they were able to come back against our rival La Salle and beat them again on penalty kicks. It was deja vu to my junior year, which was so cool.�



Portsmouth has turned into something of a hotbed for collegiate women�s soccer players. Just to name a few, Mariah Kaiser is the all-time leading scorer at Roger Williams University, Lauren Bulk enjoyed a fine career at Salve Regina University, Leah Hibbad was a first-team all-conference selection at Husson University this past season and Jessica Kaufmann is currently playing at Division II Saint Anselm College.



Hobbs said seeing older teammates experience success at the next level was a motivational factor for her.



�I think that tradition of working hard has trickled down to the younger players and it leads to more and more success,� she said.



Another Portsmouth player headed toward a college career is junior Marykate McGuire, who has given a verbal commitment to Duke University. Pittsburgh and Duke both play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, so two former Patriots will be on opposing sides of the same field in a couple years. And because Hobbs is a defender and McGuire is a striker, there�s a decent chance they could be marked up against one another.



�I�m super excited for that day. I can�t wait to see her on the field (when we play) Duke,� Hobbs said. �It would be one of the best matchups of the season, because we both know each other�s strengths and weaknesses. It�ll be a lot of fun, a great game to watch.�



Hobbs made it a point to say she is a very much a student-athlete, and not so much an athlete-student. She takes her schoolwork very seriously in the hopes of one day developing medical devices. As for her remaining three years with the Panthers, Hobbs said she would like to see more playing time and have a bit more of an impact. Miller realizes she's willing to put in the work to make that happen.



"I think Maddie has some untapped potential," he said. "She is still raw in a lot of soccer areas, but is willing to do whatever it takes to close the gap and be a more productive member of the team."



Really, though,�Hobbs just wants to be a decent role model for the incoming players.



�I want to prove to them that if you keep working hard, good things are going to come your way,� she said.



Barrett@NewportRI.com