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Soccer Banter

Overcoming Injuries

9/12/2013

2 Comments

 
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Coming in to this season, there was a lot of new. New coaches, new freshmen, a new athletic director: these were all things I came in knowing would be different. What I didn’t expect was losing one of our starting defenders to a season ending injury.

After going 0-2 in our first two non-conference games, we knew our next opponent, Howard, was a game we not only held the odds to win, but was also a game we could use as a turning point in our not-so-good first step in to the fall season. From the kickoff, it was clear that we held the upper hand in ability, but would still need to work hard to come out with a win. Then, about twenty minutes in, I watched one of our defenders, and one of my classmates, go into a tackle that ended in a clap the entire stadium could hear. It seemed so fast. One second she was fine, sliding in to any normal tackle, and the next she was shaking her head with a face that screamed utter defeat. Knowing her season was over, Dani had her leg splinted on the side of the field, and was off to the emergency room by halftime. The second half took what felt like an eternity, ultimately ending in a 1-0 victory. But as the game came to a close and news from the hospital reached our trainer, it set in that we would now have to fill yet another position in our back line, and the person I had played next to my entire college career would not return to the field until at least the following year.

The first game after Dani had a rod surgically inserted into her broken leg, we played Liberty. I was shocked at how off I felt, I mean I knew it would be weird as a center back playing without my usual left back, but it didn’t strike me exactly how well I had gotten accustomed to the back line including Dani. In the following game against La Salle, however, it dawned on me that even after getting a new coach, and welcoming a third of our team, and losing a starting defender, that if we believe in our potential we can succeed. The same team that conceded two goals in the first fifteen minutes of the game came out and scored two goals in two minutes to bring the game to overtime. I realized that now more than ever is each person's chance to step up and show that even in the face of change and negative odds that together we are a team that will not stand down. 

Believe. Win. Succeed. 



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Preseason: A mixture of Old and New

8/14/2013

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With two years of NCAA D1 soccer under my belt, there are a couple things that I came to preseason well prepared for. I knew that the weather would hardly ever dip below 85 degrees, and that even after a thunderstorm, I would still feel suffocated by DC's humidity. I knew that my free time would be at a minimum and that without ice baths I'd question my ability to walk correctly. Energy? I've mastered napping to a science so that even in a 30-minute break between showers and a team meal, it could be guaranteed that I would be able to sleep for 20, minimum. I figured there would probably be around nine to twelve two-a-days, a handful of one-a-days, and a couple of games, and that it would seem to go by at a snail's pace. Typical right?

However, even after two years at American and a week into my third, I still find there has been a lot to adjust to. With eight freshmen and a transfer joining our team of 26 players, more than a third of our team is working to see how they fit in to how we play. On top of welcoming new teammates, last spring we welcomed a new Athletic Director, and our Assistant Coach as our new head coach. With a new coach came new expectations, new fitness tests, and a new practice schedule along with new locker room and training room facilities. Finally, the Patriot League will welcome two new schools this year; Loyola University and Boston University, both of which will be challenging competitors.



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Amongst all the old and new, there are a few things I've been able to take away from the grueling work everyone knows preseason is. As the world renowned Nike slogan goes, Just Do It. Suck it up, push yourself, don't shy away from what's "optional," take care of your body, and branch out. It will be worth it. Work hard and the proof will show in the results. But above all, remember why you are there. Remember that you became a collegiate athlete because some time ago you fell in love with the game, and it was that love that propelled you to this level of excellence.

At this stage in preseason, the fitness tests are over, the initial jitters are gone, and we are only a few days away from our exhibition game. On Friday we will take on St. Francis, and begin what I hope will be a long, successful season.  

"Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

- Muhammad Ali



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    Kirsten Eriksen

    Eriksen is a junior defender at American University, where in 2012 she was named 2nd Team All-Patriot League. She won a state championship at Westhill High School and played club soccer with Connecticut Football Club. 



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Soccer Banter: Been Kicking Since March 1, 2011