colette wilkinson 
 

July 1, 2014.  In a packed common room of a Harvard dorm at 10 Akron, Monika Lutz and a group of friends are glued to the TV set.

 

In the second period of extra time, the U.S. soccer team has tried for seven goals against Belgium. So far, the U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard has saved a record-breaking 15 goals.

 

“It was nail-bitingly dramatic,” says Lutz, her large blue eyes widening further.

 

Lutz had followed all the U.S. games of the tournament prior to July 1, when Belgium clinched a 2-1 victory and the U.S. were knocked out of the World Cup. With an estimated 21.6 million people watching the U.S-Belgium game on television, according the Associated Press, few could have predicted the soccer fever that gripped the United States—a display of passion that, Lutz says, is about more than soccer. 

 

“What I love is nothing about sport and everything to do with the people. I mean, don’t tell the Bostonians,” she says hiding behind her palm, "but even if I go to a Red Sox game, I’m not there for the baseball. I’m there for the cheers. I’m there for walking into a crowd of strangers and feeling like family.”

 

Lutz hopes soccer can catch on permanently as a way of inspiring kids to “go out and play,” as well as teach dedication and determination—qualities she knows a little about.  

 

Her neon pink nail polish and cream playsuit fit the image of a 22-year-old student, but belie the maturity she has gained through her drive to achieve goals. Four years ago, all of Lutz’s Ivy League college applications were rejected, despite a 3.7 GPA and status as Student Body President and varsity athlete for her high school in Boulder, Colorado.

 

Over the next two years, she interned in Shanghai, Singapore and India, blogging initially for the Colorado Daily, and subsequently for TIME Magazine and USA Today. She also worked on a confidential assignment in Washington D.C. for Nancy Pelosi, first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.  By the time she reapplied to major in government at Harvard, she was in. Her book of gap year stories Now What?, published in November 2013, can be found on the shelves on the Harvard Coop bookstore.

 

“Look at Landon Donovan,” says Lutz. “He grew up in a trailer park in Texas and now he’s one of our lead scorers in the World Cup. I watch and think, if you can bridge that gap, what can I bridge?”

 

Setting her peach bubble tea down, Lutz slaps her palm on the counter.

 

“That’s what inspires me about sports," she says.