Q: How is the girl’s soccer season going so far? How do you feel?
A: I feel great. I think we are doing a really great job this year connecting as a team and working as a team, so I’m really proud of everyone.
Q: Do you feel any new responsibilities after all the seniors left last year and some of your close friends? How is that different dynamic on the team this year?
A: I definitely do feel some new responsibilities but I feel like that is shared amongst the team and all of the seniors. And everyone does a good job with their teamwork and lots of people are stepping up as leaders, like Ava Nauman and Emily See and Emily Schinstock. So I think a lot of it is on us to work together and keep everyone confident after losing some of those players, but other than that I feel like we are doing a really good job of dealing with that.
Q: How has WAHS soccer affected your playing style over the past four years?
A: I think high school sports bring a lot of confidence especially for those who play club. It’s definitely a different level of playing because we are playing in front of your friends or a crowd, and for club sports we are just playing in front of our parents. So the biggest takeaway from high school soccer is confidence.
Q: What made you choose Longwood? What were you looking for in the recruitment process?
A: I really wanted to play starting off when I got to college, so I looked at smaller schools. I kind of knew that I wanted to go Division 1 since the start of my recruiting process and I was hoping to keep it to smaller schools specifically in state schools. And I knew the coach at Longwood for a really long time. So it was very safe for me to pick an in-state school and know some of the players there currently and some of the players going into the school.
Q: What are your goals for the season? What are you working towards?
A: Obviously we are all a little frustrated by what happened last year. We were really close and we really wanted it and worked hard for it, but we didn’t win last year. So I think everyone is really mentally preparing us to go into every game and finish every game strong. Because that is what happened last year we didn’t finish out strong and it cost us the title. So we are all very determined this year.
Q: How have the team dynamics changed since your four years at Western?
A: I am very impressed this year because everyone went into it a little aware that we lost a lot of key players. Key midfielder, key goalkeeper, key defender, key forward. And so this year it’s really all about building as a team because we really have to work together as a team. Everyone has to play their part, everyone has to step up to make sure we are scoring and defending well. The biggest thing this year is our team is playing because we are not relying on different players for specific things.
Q: How do your hobbies affect how you play soccer and how you manage your time? And what are some things you are looking forward to at Longwood in terms of maintaining your hobbies?
A: I think I am a pretty creative person and I think that correlates to the soccer field because I am a creative player and passer. So my creativity has definitely helped me in soccer, art, and school and it is something I will take with me to school. I take hard classes but I wouldn’t say I am the smartest person so I rely on my creativity to get good grades and help me through school.
