Born to Play

An inside look at what drives one of Northeastern women’s soccer’s freshman phenoms.

Written by Bridget Bost. Photo by Katie Billman.

In just her debut season as a Husky, freshman forward Vivian Akyirem has already earned her flowers. En route to leading the entire Northeastern women’s soccer team with 13 goals this season, Akyirem was honored as the CAA Rookie of the Week twice and earned a nomination for Rookie of the Year.

Her early collegiate dominance was no surprise, however, as Akyirem has a history of excellence in the sport. Akyirem’s origins in soccer date back to when she was only three years old, hacing grown up in a family of soccer players in Kumasi, Ghana.

“My dad was a coach, so basically all my siblings played soccer when they were pretty young. My dad started bringing me to practice with my brother and I would stay on the sidelines kicking around a soccer ball,” Akyirem recalled.

As Akyirem started to play more competitively, her love for the sport only grew. She was a part of a program in Africa, Right to Dream, that gives scholarships to athletes so they can come to the United States to play.

As a result, Akyirem attended high school at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, where she played on the soccer team for four years. As a captain of her high school team in senior year, she broke the Berkshire’s single-season scoring record with 29 goals.

“The program was a highlight of my time in high school,” Akyirem said.

Akyirem was a multi-sport athlete in high school, playing basketball and running track and field along with soccer. Even when she was on the basketball court, her love for soccer still shined through.

“I was playing during a game and someone got hurt. I started juggling the basketball with my feet while I was waiting and the ref was like, ‘You can’t do that,’” Akyirem laughed. “Everyone just said, ‘She’s just a soccer player.”

Despite her interest in a variety of different sports, her love and talent for soccer continued to blossom. It was only natural that she would go on to compete at the collegiate level. Despite a turbulent recruiting season due to COVID-19, Akyirem immediately felt at home after stepping foot on Huntington Avenue.

“I got other offers from other schools that I thought would be a better fit,” Akyirem said. “But then I came here and I fell in love with the city. I like the classes and how small some of them were. I love the team and I knew coming here would help me achieve my goals.”

Moving to Boston to continue playing soccer was an experience that shaped who Akyirem is as a player today. Transitioning to being a Division I athlete while being a full-time college student, she was pushed to grow in ways that she never imagined.

“It was very time consuming,” she said. “Most of the time we had away games and it was very hard to get your body ready for games every day. And to stay consistent; staying consistent is something that I have learned a lot about.”

Despite these challenges, she quickly adapted to the fast pace of student-athlete life and settled in as a key part of Northeastern’s attack. Coach Ashley Phillips noted Akyirem’s seamless fit into the team’s aggressive 4-4-2 offensive formation.

“Vivian’s a phenomenal player and I think something that she really added to the group that we needed as she has the ability not only to play in front of back lines, but to stretch back lines and get behind them,” Phillips said. “She liked to play as a left winger which gave her a little more space and the ability to cut in and drive central at times. So she really liked isolating defenders so she could take players on.”

Akyirem’s individual prowess on the field, coupled with her ability to fit seamlessly into the team’s style of play, set the foundation for her early success. But Akyirem explains that she wouldn’t be who she is on the field without her teammates and coaches.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for the team. My coaches and teammates are all very supportive. It is not everywhere that you go and find those kinds of people that are genuinely there for you. I am super grateful to have them all in my life,” she said.

Sydney Fischer, Akyirem’s close friend and teammate, shares this gratitude and joy.

“She genuinely has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. And it lights up every room she’s a part of and she just has such a joy of life,” Fischer said. “She also has such an infectious attitude that made it just fun to be around her.”

Similarly to her connection to her teammates and coaches at Northeastern, Akyirem’s time playing for another club gave her a taste of what it was like to be a part of a supportive team. When Akyirem first started her soccer journey in the United States, she worked to sharpen her skills by playing for Black Rock FC, an academy team in the United Soccer League Two, during her freshman year of high school.

“I played among players I competed against in high school,” Akyirem recalled. “It was fun to bring experienced players to be on the same team and play together. We had practices and games every week and sometimes would also travel together for tournaments.”

Playing for Black Rock FC was a formative experience that paved the way for Akyirem’s collegiate career.

“I learned a lot when I played for the club,” she said. “I played forward for them, which I feel prepared me for college because I now play the same position. The club shaped me to play forward for Northeastern.”

Looking forward, Akyirem believes that her experiences as a player throughout both high school and college have helped to frame her future goals.

“I have always had dreams to play at a big club,” she said. “I could really see myself at PSG, and I know it’s a long ride, but it will take a lot of time, patience, and practice.”

The time and effort it’ll take to reach the professional level will be worth it for Akyirem. For her, soccer is her whole life.

“Anytime I play soccer, it brings this joy to me and that joy motivates me every single day to play soccer. Soccer makes me so happy.”