Jeff DiVeronica

@RocDevo

Rhinos goalkeeper Adam Grinwis circled this past weekend on his calendar a month ago and it had nothing to do with Saturday’s home match against Harrisburg. Why? Because he knew he'd get to see his girlfriend, Canadian national team defender, Shelina Zadorsky.

She’s also in her first season with the Washington Spirit, so when the National Women’s Soccer League schedule came out in February and the Spirit were the opponent for the Western New York Flash’s home opener on Friday, the Rochester rendezvous was set.

"We put two and two together pretty quickly that it was going to work out,” said Grinwis, the second-year pro who turned 24 last month. “I was hoping she’d get a day off after (Friday) and maybe could stay a couple extra days, and thank God it did because I think this is going to be the longest amount of time we’re going to be able to spend together all summer.”

That’s how it goes when you’re each chasing the dream of playing professional soccer and you don’t have the good fortune (or ability to dictate) playing in the same city the way Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco do now in Orlando with the NWSL Pride and MLS Lions, respectively. Of course, Morgan and Carrasco paid their long-distance dues, too, spending the past few years apart until Morgan was traded in the offseason from Portland to the NWSL-expansion Pride, who drew a league-record 23,403 to their April 23 home opener.

“It’s hard but we make it work and we know it's meant to be,” Zadorsky said of being in a long-distance relationship.

They met five years ago in Ann Arbor, Michigan as freshmen and soccer players at the University of Michigan. For four years in college, they got to see each other all the time. But last year was difficult. Zadorsky, 23, who is from London, Ontario, wasn't drafted by an NWSL team or allocated to one by the Canadian Soccer Association. So she headed first to Australia and then to Sweden to play as a pro rookie.

Grinwis, meanwhile, signed with Rochester after a standout four-year career as starter for the Wolverines. A two-time second-team All-Big Ten pick, the Grand Rapids native is second on the school's all-time saves list with 261. He chose Michigan over Michigan State, going with his mother's alma mater that was a two-hour drive from home compared to a 45-minute trek to East Lansing.

"We grew up going to the Big House, watching football games," Grinwis said. "Michigan was where my heart always was."

Grinwis backed up 2015 USL Goalkeeper of the Year Brandon Miller last season, going 3-0-3 as a rookie and helping Rochester win the league title. Rhinos coach Bob Lilley liked his instincts and aggressiveness coming off his line. The coach also saw enough good play from the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Grinwis to not worry when Miller signed a free-agent contract with Orange County in December.

“It was hard sitting (last season)," Grinwis said, but acknowledged learning from Miller, who was a Rhinos' backup for three seasons before becoming the No. 1 choice. "(Miller) always brought it every day to practice and that’s something I took away from him."

The time difference made it difficult for Zadorksy to watch many Rhinos matches live online last year, but she did make it to Rochester for one of his starts, a win over FC Montreal. Grinwis watched her play in person as a pro for the first time on Friday, as the Spirit beat the Flash 3-0 to improve to 3-0.

Rochester Rhinos defeat Harrisburg City 2-1

On Saturday night, Zadorsky watched Grinwis in goal, as Rochester beat Harrisburg 2-1 to improve to 3-1-1 this season and 6-1-3 in his pro career.

“He had a phenomenal attitude last year and did well with the games he got. He deserves it,” Zadorsky said.

Grinwis is equally proud of Zadorsky earning a spot with the Canadian national team. She was a fixture at center back during Olympic qualifying last year and is expected to make the roster for this summer's games in Rio. She has played 13 times for Canada (10 starts) and scored her only goal in a 2-1 win over Brazil in the Algarve Cup title match in March in Portugal.

What's the trick to keeping a solid relationship despite the distance?

“I’d say the biggest thing for us is trust,” Grinwis said. “We spent four years together at the University of Michigan and we were able to build that trust. We’re living off that right now.”

Technology helps. They text a lot and FaceTime, too, Zadorsky said.

How'd they spend their day off, a gray Sunday afternoon in Rochester, before Zadorsky leaves on Monday? It started with a light training session at Rhinos Stadium and probably reminded them of some times back in college when they'd train together, either going for a run or working out on the field.

"Recovery session, just some stretching, passing and touches on the ball," Grinwis said about Sunday. "It never stops."

They planned to do some shopping and then end the night watching some MLS and NWSL action on TV, just as you'd expect a soccer couple in love.

“It’s easy with him, right?" Zadorsky said, smiling about her red-headed man. "Perfect guy."

JDIVERON@Gannett.com