Football players were not the only ones signing letters of intent earlier this month.

Maura Romano, a senior at North Allegheny High School, signed to play soccer at the University of Massachusetts, which competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Romano has been considered one of the top female players in the district, but her name didn't appear on any all-section or All-WPIAL teams last autumn.

That's because she missed all but one game of her senior season with a broken bone in her right leg. She had surgery -- seven pins and a plate were used to repair the break -- was on crutches and had her leg in a boot for a month and then was in a walking boot for another month.

Romano just received the OK to play again the first part of this month.

That means she was not able to play for about five and a half months.

"It was a long five and half months," she said. "Now, I'm back playing indoor and I'm going to play in the spring. It's just nice to be able to play again."

Some Division I college programs might back off a player who had a senior season wiped out, but Massachusetts coach Jim Rudy maintained his interest in Romano.

"That's one of the reasons why I decided to go there, because of the coach," Romano said. "My mother called him after I was hurt and told him what happened and he was very supportive."

She verbally committed to Massachusetts last March after an outstanding junior season at North Allegheny in which she scored 15 goals and had close to a dozen assists. She was also considering St. Bonaventure, Marquette and Georgia Southern, among others.

Actually, she wasn't even considering Massachusetts at first. Romano knew she wanted to attend a big school, but that was about it.

She was playing for the IFC Blast in a college showcase tournament in North Carolina last year when her good friend Katie Muller, who is a goalkeeper, said a coach from Massachusetts was at the tournament to watch her play.

"After we got home from the tournament, I got a big packet from UMass," Romano said. "I had no idea they were interested in me."

Muller, who also plays goal for North Hills High School and is a senior, and Romano have been good friends since playing together on an under-13 traveling team.

Muller has also signed with Massachusetts and they will be roommates in the fall.

"It's not that unusual for that to happen ... to go to a tournament to look at one player and identify another who you'd like to get," Rudy said. "It wasn't me who went there [North Carolina], it was my assistant, but that's what happened."

One reason for the friendship between Muller and Romano might be because Romano started her soccer career as a goalkeeper. Then a coach noticed she had a strong shot with her left foot and decided to try her at forward.

Since then, soccer has been a kick for her instead of a stop. It became her passion.

"She can serve the ball well into that penalty area and that's something not a lot of high school players can do," Rudy said. "Plus, she's a lefty and she has a strong shot."

Romano displayed her mental toughness this past fall. A team captain for North Allegheny, she still attended most games even though she couldn't play. For someone who was used to being active and on the field just about every minute, that's not easy.

"It was hard," she said when asked about watching instead of playing. "I kind of got into coaching because I would try and pass along things that I was seeing to the other players. I just accepted it as a challenge."

These days, Romano is into yoga. She does it at least a couple times a week and said it helps maintain her flexibility, which, she hopes, will keep her injury-free.

She plans to make another trip to Amherst, Mass., in the spring. Romano plans to be on campus by Aug. 1. Practices are scheduled to start Aug. 8.

This summer, she plans to improve her soccer skills, work and relax a little. She hopes to see considerable playing time as a college freshmen.

"It depends on a player's skill level [on how much they play] because they are going to be constantly challenged," Rudy said. "She's a skilled player. It all depends on what she does the first five days of the preseason."

Massachusetts started last season 6-0-1, but a spate of injuries resulted in a 9-6-2 overall record and a 4-6-2 mark in the Atlantic 10.