By Ryan Makuch
AFC Ann Arbor is excited to announce the return of Bella Petrock to The Mighty Oak for the 2022 season. Petrock joins Emily Eitzman as returnees from the 2019 season, and also brings a significant amount of experience both from the club level as well as a collegian.
With The Mighty Oak in 2019, Petrock cemented herself as an important player in the midfield within the starting eleven. Starting the majority of UWS matches for AFCAA over the course of the season, she provided the side with a boost both in attack and defense, providing quality and strength in the center of the park.
“I would describe myself as a gritty, defensive-minded, visionary player who is not afraid to take a chance on any play,” Petrock said, on her playstyle.
Speaking also about her growth as a player since that season, Petrock would say, “Since the 2019 season, I have gained a lot of experience and confidence playing at the collegiate level and learned how to best apply my strengths to the game. I would also say my soccer mindset has grown in that I’ve learned the importance of team cohesion over anything.”
Petrock also completed her senior season at Ashland University, where she excelled for a superb Eagles team. Ashland won at least ten games three of Petrock’s four seasons, the outlier being a shortened spring 2021 season where the side went 8-2-1. As a senior, Petrock logged over 1,200 minutes played for the third time in her career. She has made 70 appearances over her career, logging 63 starts, and notching eight goals in purple and yellow.
About her return, Petrock was highly enthused, saying, “I couldn’t be more excited to come back and play with girls from the past season and to meet all of the new talented players.” She continued, “I’m looking forward to working hard, having fun, improving my game, and making a statement in our season!”
Not just a star on the field, Petrock is valued off the pitch by all involved with the club, but one person in particular. Petrock explained, “Boyzzz being named head coach was a huge encouragement for me to return to AFC, since he coached me from a young age and has been a longtime supporter for me.”
Khumalo had rave reviews about Petrock, saying about the midfielder, “Bella is a player that I’ve known since her youth days. She’s a good person, first of all, and she’s a good player.” Khumalo coached Petrock while with Saline FC, and Petrock stood out immediately as one of the top players on the side. For that inaugural 2019 team, Petrock was picked out by her old coach and Knox Cameron, Co-Owner to AFCAA and former Director of Coaching for Saline FC while Petrock was there.
With a personal connection to the club, and an alluring atmosphere (Petrock would say, “The AFC community atmosphere is unlike any I’ve ever known — it drew me in since day one!”) it seems only right that Petrock is set to return for The Mighty Oak’s return to the pitch.
Talking about her desires for the season, Petrock would say, “This upcoming season, I hope to build strong relationships with my teammates, the AFC staff, and fans!” She would also discuss some desires for the summer on the pitch, saying, “I look forward to learning from my teammates and coaches, strengthening my areas for improvement, and hopefully scoring my first goal as a Mighty Oak!”
AFC Ann Arbor would once again like to welcome Bella Petrock back to the club, and the club looks forward to welcoming her back to Washtenaw County.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014, and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!