What captured your enthusiasm to play the sport of soccer?

I have always been a competitive person and playing soccer helped me get some of that competitiveness out. After a few years of playing I found the position on the field that I was meant to play, striker. At that position you fail so many times by missing shots and not scoring, but once you succeed it is an adrenaline rush. After so many years of playing I still get an adrenaline rush each time I score, because I know all the practices and sprints I did for my team has paid off in that single moment. Once I score a single time, I get even more competitive and want to score again and again. That is what I have found that I love about the sport.

What is the one aspect of training you dislike the most?

I don’t dislike the sprints and hour long scrimmaging, because I know they help me when I’m in a game. I struggle with and dislike the mental aspect, when doing sprints I get in my head that it’s difficult and that I don’t want to run anymore, but I know I have to keep going. I have to constantly tell myself to keep going, and I struggle with doing that, because I struggle with it I get frustrated. Once I’m frustrated with myself I don’t do as well and get down on myself, and that is what I hate the most because at that point I am not long helping my team by not working at my fullest potential.

 Who do you play for in your heart?

I play for my team, I don’t play for myself or anyone else, only them. After each game, win or lose, I want to be able to walk off the field knowing that I have done everything I could contribute to a win for them.

What have you sacrificed to play the sport of soccer?

To play collegiate soccer here at Johnson, I sacrificed a future in running track. Like soccer I have run track for 13 years and was planning on running in college. Once I found out about this school and the soccer program I hung up my spikes. Along with ending my track career, I sacrificed many weekends and a large amount of my summers. Instead of spending time with friends I would travel to tournaments and endless practices to build my skills over the years so I could make it to where I am now. But I do not regret a single moment of the time I spent and the future track meets I gave up.

What excites you about playing at Johnson?

My entire team makes the game and whole experience exciting. We have such a wide range of personalities and talents that each practice is fun and interesting at times. This team over the course of preseason becomes one family and once on the field we are able to use each person’s talent to benefit the team, and win or lose in the end we stay as a team. The team here is not like any other team I have played on, and they are what makes the experience a new and exciting one.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

I absolutely love chocolate milk, especially during preseason. When I found out that it helps your muscles recover after workouts it became ten times better.

What is your major?

I am majoring in outdoor education. I have always loved to be outside hiking and camping, or anything that will give me an adrenalin rush. I was really excited to find that I can make a career out of it.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation I hope to find a job working for an outdoor company or an outdoor camp. I would like to eventually work with people in high school and older, to be able to show them the outdoors. I want to lead those groups on backpacking and canoeing expeditions and/or through ropes courses to challenge them socially, mentally and physically. I would also like to coach or assistant coach high school soccer and track teams. I want to share the knowledge I have about the sports with young aspiring athletes.