University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Heidi Comeau Bruening 1985 - Soccer
A two-time All-American and three-time All-New England selection in women's soccer, Heidi Comeau Bruening was one of the school's all-time leading scorers and in 1995, she was inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame. During her four-year career, she scored 25 goals and added 24 assists for 74 points. Her 11 assists in 1983 are a single-season record and she graduated second all-time in goals and first in assists.
A two-time captain for coach John Carter, Comeau Bruening was one of the top players in New England. As a freshman, she scored seven goals and added six assists for 20 points. She followed that up with nine goals and four assists for 22 points as a sophomore in 1981. In 1982, Comeau Bruening moved back to sweeper, the last line of defense before the goalie. Despite that move, she remained dangerous offensively, scoring two goals and adding 3 assists for seven points. As a senior, Comeau Bruening led the team to a 10-6-0 record and the ECAC Championship game, where the Catamounts lost 1-0 to William and Mary. That season, playing in the midfield, she scored seven goals and added 11 assists. A second-team All-America selection in 1982, Comeau Bruening was named first-team All-America as a senior. She was also All-East as a junior and senior. Named Most Valuable Player on the team in 1982, she went on to play for the U.S. National team for a year. She was also a member of the Massachusetts Select Team from 1985-88, and played for the East Regional team in 1985-86.
Coach Carter remembers Heidi well. "She was definitely one of the best players in the country," he said. "She was two-time captain, and when she moved back to sweeper, it allowed us to play with control and discipline."
Comeau Bruening, one of the first three UVM women's soccer players to be named All-America, served as an assistant coach for Carter in 1985 and went on to be an assistant at Tufts and Curry. Her induction into UVM's Athletic Hall of Fame completes a rare double for Comeau Bruening: in May of 1995, she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Concord-Carlisle High School in Massachusetts.
