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Soccer Banter

Attitude Is A Choice

10/3/2013

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As this season has progressed, I’ve watched my fellow captain struggle with a nagging injury. A recurring quad pull continues to set her back. She waits out her couple weeks diligently and then jumps back in, eager to get on the field. It pains me to watch it happen over and over again. With the exception of a few tears shed when she realizes what each set back means, Stine remains Stine: a rock for our team.

I admire her remarkable attitude. Regardless of how difficult her injury situation, she comes out each day as our captain for the betterment of our team. Of course she would rather get stuck in and slide tackle like a boss during her senior season, but since she can’t, she assumes a new role to benefit everyone. Stine shows up every day, un-phased by her own predicament, ready to do whatever she possibly can – to make us a better team.

Wanting desperately to get back out on the field, she drove through each phase of the dreaded cycle. Out of the corner of my eye during practice, I’d see Stine running cones off on her own, away from any attention, away from any spotlight. When she wasn’t able to run, she would still be engaged. During practice we came in for water and Stine was there, graciously helping Ally Brahs, an underclassman, learn and grow into her position, a position Stine owned when healthy. In our games, we hear her, commanding orders from the bench as if she were out there with us. 



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Teammates would regularly ask her, “How’s it doing? How are you feeling?” These were genuine attempts at showing that we cared, that we empathized. But most likely, we were making her want to pull her hair out. And wouldn’t ya know it, she’d just respond with a smile on her face, “Feels great. Can’t wait to get back out there with you guys.”

Thinking back to last summer, I remember Stine and I talking about the upcoming season and how we thought it was going to be our year. There was something special in the air. As seniors, we’d leave the legacy we’ve always dreamt of. After injuries, not only Stine’s, but virtually our entire back line and more, I’ve wanted to scream, “Stop, rewind!” This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. How could our team not be undefeated or ranked at this point in the season?

We may not have Stine out on the field with us anymore, but whenever I look at her I know her faith in this team remains the same. She believes in us. And so do I. Like our coach reminds us, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.

Attitude is a choice. We are lucky to witness someone bringing the right attitude day in and day out for our team. Stine would give her right arm to be out there with us now. We need to play as if we would give an arm to win. If not for us, for her.    


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Highs and Lows

9/7/2013

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Every season comes with many highs and lows. I’ll be honest with you, we have dug ourselves into a bit of a hole. It isn’t anyone’s dream to start the season with a 1-4 record, but it also does not mean the season will end on that same trajectory either. Our team is learning and growing with every game. Every mistake made out on that field becomes a lesson engrained in our minds that we hold onto. For anyone who knows about the game of soccer, you know that the smallest errors can cost you results and spiral into a loss of confidence. Fortunately for us, you can surmount adversity with the right attitude and a little thing I call belief.

Last year the Huskies started off the season like a powerhouse. Going on a seven game winning streak, we felt it was our year to leave a lasting legacy at the University of Washington. Unfortunately, we hit the Pac12 season and our streak ended. Despite some losses, we made enough of an impact to get a bid for the NCAA tournament. Facing Auburn in the first round, we put up a strong fight in front of our home fans on our home field, but left the rainy night feeling confused and distraught. Knowing we did not play up to our potential, we looked in the mirror and knew there was more to give.

Our alarms sounded at 5:00am. Day after day, we bundled up in sweatpants, packed ourselves into cars and made our way down to the locker room. Hardly awake, we threw on our cleats, managed to stuff down a Luna bar and walked out into the cold, dark, winter morning. Our morning workouts ranged from pushing sleds, holding 5-minute planks, bear crawling in the frost until our hands went raw and ultimately achieving a mental toughness most could never understand. With the feeling of Auburn fresh on our minds, we turned the loss into motivation. 



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With the effort we put in during winter and the regret of losing to Auburn, we want it more than ever. It was disheartening to come away with a loss right out of the gate. Especially when it was our own fault for wanting it so badly that we could hardly remember how to play the game we’ve grown up playing. Regardless of what our record shows, the season is far from over and we’re just starting to touch the surface of our potential.

The media can think what they want and onlookers can question us, but I know my team and I know that it’s only a matter of time until we click and the tides turn for us. Personally, I would rather get the kinks out early on in the season and show up big to the Pac12 when it truly matters. These losses are hard to swallow, but they have been crucial to our development and are telling a story. We are slowly piecing together the small gaps that will result in a unified, complete team. How we face the bumps in the road will determine how long we will travel.

A former coach of mine used to say, “You have to let the tea boil at the right time.” Let me be the first to say, the Dawgs are starting to heat up.



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Sentimental Thoughts

8/9/2013

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Pre-season is underway and I can’t help but feel a bit sentimental. Years upon years of lacing up my boots and playing the sport I love with my best friends just isn’t enough. As I look my senior year directly in the face, a flood of memories overwhelms me.

The first time I touched a ball was during one of my older brother’s recreational games. I remember the day perfectly. We were at Marymoor Park, a complex where I ended up spending many years of my life playing soccer, on a blustery, fall day. I was having so much fun playing soccer with the other younger siblings that I forgot to even watch my brother play. In a woody area near the small field his team was playing on, I took the ball and went dribbling. With a huge grin on my face, I weaved through branches, navigated around trees and darted my way through an imaginary course. Envisioning rocks and bushes as my opponents, I glided my way past them and knew it was a feeling I wanted more of. It was all over after that; soccer became my life.

Ever since that day in the woods, I found myself wanting to put in the extra work to get better. I ended up making countless trips up my neighborhood hill to go strike balls against an old, rickety, baseball fence. I would go on long runs and juggle for hours in the backyard until the night sky hid the ball and my mom called me in for dinner.



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Eventually I was old enough to play on a club team so I tried out for Crossfire. Strangely enough, I still play with a handful of girls that I met at that tryout. We might not have braces anymore or wear our hair in pigtails, but we are the same driven group of women who all had the same dream and saw it become a reality.

I have been blessed with many opportunities thanks to soccer. Through playing the sport I love, people have come in and out of my life that I will never forget. I’ve learned about work ethic, failure, success and dedication. My involvement in soccer has molded me into the person I am and will always be.

I have one season left as a Husky. Who knows if my soccer career will continue on after this season? What I do know is that I have one last chance to leave a legacy I’ve always dreamt of. This 2013 Husky squad is something special. I know, I know, every team says that every year. They also say that last sentence as well. But I truly feel something different. The chemistry, the hunger, the coaches… it’s all there. I know what we are capable of accomplishing as a team and I can see how badly we want it when I look in my teammates eyes. 


With all that said, it will be a sentimental season for two reasons. A long chapter of my life is coming to an end and the Huskies are about to cry tears of happiness as we look up at our trophy being held high in the air and realize that it was all worth it.


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    Lindsay Elston

    Elston is a senior midfielder at the University of Washington. In 2012, Elston led the Huskies with 11 goals and 5 assists. This past summer, the Huskies captain played for the Seattle Sounders in USL W-League.

    Follow Elston on twitter: @lindsayelston21

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Soccer Banter: Been Kicking Since March 1, 2011