It’s been an up and down season for Grand Rapids Community College’s first-ever women’s soccer team. They make history every single time they step on the field, laying the groundwork for the future of women’s soccer at GRCC. One of the players who is a part of that groundwork has been Abby Buttermore, a sophomore forward from Cedar Springs. She has been a big factor in all of the team’s success this year as she leads her team in goals, with 17, along with 37 points and three assists.
Her 17 goals in 13 games have been so impressive that it is half of her team’s total goals of the season. In fact, she is second in goals in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II for women’s soccer. She has truly had a remarkable season, but it seems like her journey to the GRCC soccer team was all a happy accident.
“My journey to joining this team was pretty short and sweet,” Buttermore said. “One day I saw the previous head coach walking around campus in a puffy jacket giving a tour to Ally Seevers, who would eventually be one of my teammates. I knew the previous coach from SCOR, and I also knew there was only one reason why the previous coach would be on campus in the Student Center. Immediately, I looked up “GRCC women’s soccer,” and saw the news article that read “GRCC to introduce new men and women’s soccer teams to the athletic program.” I quickly texted my family group chat and then, after some consideration, I proceeded to fill out a recruiting questionnaire about two weeks later.”
Buttermore subsequently joined the team and returned to playing the sport she loves.
“I love the game and have been waiting for an opportunity like this,” Buttermore said. “I knew I was going to come to GRCC after I graduated high school in 2021, but I was bummed that they didn’t have a soccer program. So, for the last 1.5 years, I have been attending GRCC without any plans to play soccer again. However, when GRCC finally created a women’s soccer team, I was extremely eager to jump into the opportunity and play again”
Her impact has been evident on the field, especially to her teammates. Camila Garcia, a defender from Comstock Park, highlighted how effective Buttermore has been as a leader, but also as a friend.
“Abby’s contribution to the team is being a kind supporting leader to the team,” Garcia said. “During the game, she motivates us and helps us. During practice, she’s fun, focused and supportive.”
Buttermore’s play has been exciting this year. Her exquisite dribbling and her ability to cut through the defense has allowed her to score some highlight-worthy goals this season.
Despite the fact that Buttermore hasn’t played soccer since high school, she has not lost her aggressive playstyle.
“It has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things. However, I have come back to the game with a new sense of determination to be a great player once again,” Buttermore said. “My love for the game of soccer has given me a sort of sixth sense when it comes to the game, and I am always looking to be a strategic and dynamic player who can adjust to her opponents’ strengths and weaknesses during competitions.”
GRCC’s head coach Jason Hill was complimentary towards Buttermore with how she conducts herself on and off the field
“She’s a great leader, its one of the reasons we gave her the captain position,” Hill said. “She’s able to communicate with her teammates, give them instructions and get them through times when it gets tough.”
Buttermore’s personality also takes center stage with her humbleness in her play and has the ability to make her teammates laugh in practice.
“When coach split the team in two and had a competition between us. It was to see who can juggle 20 consecutive times. The rules were: the ball cannot touch the ground and everyone must touch the ball at least once,” Garcia said. “Being that Abby was the only one that could juggle properly we constructed a plan to have Abby juggle 20 times then huddle up like penguins with our knees up to make sure the ball touched every person we truly felt like engineers.”
With all the focus being on how great her play has been on the field, her biggest aspirations for her future have nothing to do with soccer.
“My major at GRCC is Child Development,” Buttermore said. “I have been deciding on this major ever since I entered college and it is one of the most rewarding fields to be a part of. In the future, I plan to continue my work in childcare. Eventually, I would love to be an infant/toddler specialist or possibly be a program or curriculum director at a childcare facility. Children are at the center of my heart and I would love to continue my work with children to ensure their health, safety, and overall development into adolescence.
When discussing her major, you can see how much she truly cares about her field of work and it was most noticeable when she discussed her biggest dream.
“If money was no object, I would love to start up my very own daycare to assist families who need childcare services- that is my biggest dream by far,” Buttermore said. “However, a more realistic dream of mine is to work with children, then one day get married and have my own children, and then eventually be a stay-at-home mom and provide an enriching domestic household for my future family.”
With Buttermore being a sophomore, that means she will be graduating from GRCC, however she is enthusiastic about what she will gain from that time.
“I hope to gain new confidence in myself as a leader. Working with children and being on an athletic team are two very similar things,” Buttermore said. “To be a leader you must take control, use your voice, and have confidence in your abilities, whatever those may be. I hope that my time at GRCC will be enriching and help me develop as a teammate, coworker, and overall person in general.”
Hill felt that Buttermore’s play is very important, who she is as a person is what makes her special.
“She’s a great leader and she leads by example for her teammates,” Hill said. “She is a good player that could go to the next level, she’s an even better person and she’s got a very high ceiling in life.”
The women’s soccer team is in its infancy and with Buttermore leading the way, she’s building a foundation for future players and hopes to leave a legacy behind at GRCC with her leadership.
“I hope that my legacy at GRCC will be one that GRCC and the women’s soccer program are proud to look back on,” Buttermore said. “There is a great deal of honor that comes with being the first-ever GRCC women’s soccer team captain, and I just hope that I can be the best teammate and player that I can be for this program. I hope that future players of the women’s soccer team will take something away from my leadership.”
