Maddie Fried announced her arrival on the Connecticut soccer scene during the 2017 FCIAC girls soccer championship game. The then-freshman scored the game’s lone goal in the first half, which eventually helped St. Joseph (Trumbull, Conn.) defeat Staples for the conference championship.
“There were so many people there, and it was my first moment in front of so many people,” she said. “That rush went through me. It was such a big moment at the time.”
That goal ensured people took notice of her, but Fried (Monroe, Conn.) had fans long before then.