How Nia Hislop found her voice as a UMass women's soccer leader

NOTE : UMass journalism students teamed up with MassLive to take readers inside the UMass women’s soccer program, highlighting the players, coaches and stories that make the Minutewomen special. Through a series of features, students explore the people and perseverance behind a team that has its sights set on a successful postseason run. UMass heads into the MAC semifinals Tuesday, Nov. 10, looking to take another step toward a conference championship. In 1999, Shaka Hislop made his debut for Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s national soccer team at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. Seven years later, he helped the country reach its first World Cup. On April 17, 2026, nearly three decades after his own debut, Hislop watched his daughter take the same field, wearing the colors of Trinidad and Tobago for the first time. For Nia Hislop, a UMass women’s soccer captain, it was more than a national team debut. It was a chance to follow in her father’s footsteps, represent her family’s homeland and begin a new chapter in a journey that had already taken plenty of twists. “The first time I touched the ball, or I did something good, the stadium was so loud,” Nia Hislop said. “I was like, oh my God, this is legit.” As she stepped onto the moss-green field as a 62nd-minute substitute, she scanned the crowd for her family amid an ocean of passionate Trinidadian supporters. A section of roughly 30 friends and family members cheered, wearing shirts with “Hislop” printed across the back. Her mother, Desha, broke into tears of joy. Her father, Shaka, sat beside her and tried to take in the moment without breaking down himself. “It invoked so many emotions in me,” Shaka said. “Seeing [Nia], she came off the bench to come on and play. Just as a dad ... I held it together. But above all, I wanted that moment to be about her and her journey in this game and everything that it meant to her through the years.” At home, her siblings exchanged excited texts, sharing pictures of their sister on the television screen. In Amherst, Massachusetts, her college teammates screamed at the television, recording their reactions to send to Nia after the match. UMass women’s soccer coach Jason Dowiak also watched the moment unfold from his couch at home. “I was taking videos of it and sending it to my friends, and I was like, ‘That’s my girl, that’s my girl,’” Dowiak said. Her national team debut marked a significant milestone in Nia’s return to the field after a season-ending hip injury forced her to miss the 2025 collegiate campaign. The injury sidelined her for her entire senior season and represented a low point in her career: her first major setback after years of success. Speed and quickness had always been among her greatest strengths, but the hip injury challenged her to adapt. Still, driven by the determination her family frequently points to, Nia made a relatively quick recovery through rehabilitation, a process that ultimately prepared her for that spring appearance in Trinidad and Tobago. “She had only been back training for not even two full months, and then to go into that setting and perform, I mean she’s just an anomaly in the ability to be able to do that,” Dowiak said. Throughout her time away from the field, rehabilitation and recovery weren’t Nia’s only priorities. She earned the team captaincy and continued developing as a leader, making her voice heard from the sideline. Dowiak emphasized Nia’s willingness to adapt and embrace new responsibilities, saying she has continually reinvented herself since arriving at UMass. Nia began her college career as an outside defender before transitioning to forward. Now, she’s playing in the midfield, showcasing her versatility on the field. After finishing 2025 with a 5-8-4 record and a 3-6-2 conference mark, UMass found new life with Nia back on the field this season. The Minutewomen improved to 11-2-5 overall and 5-1-5 in conference play heading into the Mid-American Conference tournament this week. “The leadership presence that Nia provides on the field certainly [has] components of it that are verbal, but more of it is we just know we can do more when Nia’s on the field,” Dowiak said. As the youngest of four daughters, Nia often had to fight to make her voice heard at home. That experience helped shape her into someone who knows exactly what she wants and is “fearless” in pursuing her goals. That confidence carried onto the soccer field, where Nia competed against boys and older girls from a young age. As a freshman at Concord-Carlisle High School, she earned a spot on the varsity team alongside her sister Talia, who was a senior captain at the time. In her first high school game, Nia scored a hat trick at 14 years old, the first of many goals in a decorated career. She earned All-State and All-New England honors in consecutive years. She also showcased her talent at the club level with FC Stars in the Elite Clubs National League, one of the top levels of youth club soccer. Those accomplishments helped earn her an opportunity to play at UMass, a chance she embraced. As a freshman, Nia started 12 of the team’s 18 games. Fifty-seven games, 11 points and two game-winning goals later, she entered her graduate season in 2026. She started all 18 regular-season matches, recording two goals, two assists and a game-winning tally to help the Minutewomen secure the No. 2 seed in the MAC tourney. Although soccer was always Nia’s ultimate goal, her motivation extended beyond the game. It wasn’t just about a ball and a net. It was about her family and the children of Trinidad and Tobago who weren’t as fortunate to have the same opportunities. In April 2026, she joined her father in supporting the nonprofit he founded, Second Half Sport Foundation. The organization collects soccer equipment and footwear and ships them to Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, providing resources to children in need. “To be able to give back to a country that provided so much, especially for my dad, and gave him so many opportunities, and then this spring, gave me that opportunity too, it meant so much to us,” Nia said. “... Seeing the smile on those kids’ faces, it meant everything to me. And I know it meant everything to my dad and my mom and my whole family.” One moment in particular stuck with Nia and Desha. A young girl wanted pink cleats, and Nia helped find a pair for her. The girl’s face lit up, and other children are just as excited to see Nia whenever she returns. “To see her taking the time to help this one little girl, and that (pink) was her favorite color, and she was looking for this. It was relatable for Nia,” Desha said. Whether in Amherst or abroad, Nia’s desire to support those around her never wavers. “It makes me want to cry,” Nia said. “I feel like everything I do, like I just want to make [my parents] proud. And like hearing that something I did made them feel [proud] makes me so happy.” Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .