On the Road Again

Posted by Carly Valentine, Senior Midfielder

Despite all the challenges of the last week, including missing classes, being on the road for the third week in a row, and fighting fatigue, I’d say we ended on a pretty good note! We started out our travels in Vancouver B.C., where we played Simon Fraser. Along with the game having some pretty odd weather conditions, such as fog preventing us to see our teammates across the field :); it was extremely intense as well. However, through the rain, fog, and cold, we seemed to pull through and win! Whoooo. Our next focus was Western Washington, and boy was it great to be back in the U.S.A! WWU is a team we hadn’t ever beat. You wouldn’t have known this on Saturday however, as we beat Western 1-0. These two wins gave the entire team an incredible feeling. Not only were we on the road, but we had just beat two nationally ranked teams. I say we were on the road, but if you happened to be at either one of these games you wouldn’t have noticed. Both games showcased our own little Yellowjacket Fan club, complete with signs, scarves, cheers and loving parents. We REALLY appreciated all of the supporters. So for everyone who came to our games, thank you so much!

All of the wins, the fans, the traveling and the bonding are what makes the thought of the end of our season the most bitter feeling in the world. Constantly throughout the trip the seniors relive past memories at each field, hilarious moments at each hotel, and the scary plane rides to and from our destination all while making new memories to add to the list. Because of this, I know we are all excited for these last 10 games. I know we are all doing everything we can to extend our season past November 6th, and I know we are more than capable of getting there. This weekend proved that not only to ourselves but to the GNAC!

GNAC Play Begins

Posted by Lauren "Lo" Anderson, Senior Defender

This week definitely went by way too fast. We only had two days of school last week before we hit the road again to Washington for our first two conference games of my last season. In Seattle, we played SPU at their home field which is always one of the toughest atmospheres to play in the GNAC. I must say we had a killer support system backing us up in the stands to help us through our first conference challenge. I can still see the image of all the diehard fans holding huge letters that spelt GO MSUB . The new soccer scarves were definitely a big hit as well. All of the families, friends, and former players there was so great. They really added to the energy of the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but one of the fans said at the end of the game, “we’ll get SPU on our Turf,” and I couldn’t agree more.

The next morning, Pikes Market with the team was really fun. We had some time to enjoy ourselves, move on from the loss and start to prepare ourselves for Central Washington. Saturday morning in Ellensburg, we had another great turnout of support and we stepped out onto the field and battled our way to a victory over Central Washington 2-1, coming from behind. We flew back home with a split on the weekend against two respectable opponents.

Now that I am a senior and conference has started on my last season ever, I find myself saying almost daily how strange it is that it’s all coming to an end. I spent a lot of time with the other seniors this trip and when together, I find it hard NOT to talk about how fast it went, and reminisce about so many memories we all share together. It seems crazy that as a freshman you think it will never end, and as a senior you have no idea where all the time went. I also had a small epiphany this weekend about the seniors. We are old. Not only do I envy the Freshies, and how much energy they have, it was also confirmed when I gave Sam (Senior Captain) a 15 minute hip massage. : )

For the Love of the Game

Posted by Kari Foreman, Senior Midfielder

We traveled to my hometown of Lakewood Colorado this past weekend to play our last two regional games. It proved successful as we beat Colorado Christian University 4-1and tied Colorado School of Mines 1-1 (#8 in the most recent Midwest Regional Poll ). We are undefeated in regional play for the first time since I started playing for MSUB in 2007, a sweet start to my senior year.

The trip was particularly special for me because it was the first time a lot of my family and friends have been able to watch my team play. They were at both games, with high spirits and t-shirts that I have sent home, on numerous occasions, from the bookstore here on campus. I am blessed to have such a wonderful and enthusiastic support system back home. I was so thrilled to have my family be there to support my soccer family, and to those of you who do read the blog, thank you so much for being there for me throughout my ENTIRE soccer career and life. I love you all.

When I got to visit for that short time, one of my many supporters asked me all about my life as a college athlete and after I explained in detail to her the often overwhelming schedule we go through on a daily basis she asked me “Do you love it?”. Truth: I’m obsessed, completely head over heels, could even be considered soccer’s creepy stalker, LOVE IT. Former player Sara Gress once referred to soccer as a complicated relationship because no matter how many times it gets you down you always come back. You notch that one game winner and you can taste that sweet moment for a long time. I replay every bad day with soccer over and over again and contemplate how I could have done it differently, I lose sleep over soccer. I hate how soccer makes me feel. But the next day, on the road in Western Oregon, second overtime, two fans and a muddy jersey, I score the golden goal. The euphoric feeling is something you just don’t forget, the team laughing and cheering, you’re a winner, and there is no other feeling as addicting as being a winner. You can’t break up with soccer, because when you are with soccer you are better than yourself, you are a part of something bigger than you. Because for just that minute that you score that goal, make that save, stick that tackle, you go from ordinary to extraordinary.

The problem is, that eventually, competitively anyways, soccer will leave you. And you aren’t allowed to go back, because it moves on without you. Some of us will hang on, trying out our luck in older leagues, or coaching, but for all of us, who have been both recognized and scorned by the six letter hobby, the lessons we have learned while we were with it will be with us forever. And occasionally, when we step on that field again, as a coach, a rec player or a spectator, we can relive our glory days with those who are willing to listen.

For now, soccer is slowly trying to divorce me, but I’m doing everything I can to hold on for as long as I can. We all are. Tell us we aren’t even ranked and that we are facing # 8 in the region, see if we falter. Because, we don’t care who we have to beat, we want that feeling, we want to be winners. This is our time, to prove to soccer and ourselves that we are extraordinary. And we’ll do it all, for the love of the game.

MSUB Cup Champions!

Posted by Sam Boehm, Senior Captain

Our team is off to a great start with two big regional wins this past Labor Day weekend. On Friday we beat Dixie State 1-0. Heidi scored her first collegiate goal with the game winner! We played again on Monday with a great win versus University of Mary. The game ended 4-1 with goals by Jen Brookshire (her classic diving header), Sami Sandau, Kari Foreman, and Jen Larsen. With the two wins, we won the 8th Annual MSUB Cup and as a bonus Sami was named tournament MVP. The team couldn't be happier with this start to the season!

School starts tomorrow which I'm sure everyone is excited about (wink wink..) and we have one practice before we head off to Colorado. There we will have two more regional games against Colorado Christian and Colorado School of Mines. These are both huge games for us not only because they are regional, but because we lost to Colorado Christian 1-0 last year and School of Mines made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament last season. I am looking forward to getting revenge on Colorado Christian, as well as a great win against Colorado School of Mines. It should be a fun trip with great games. We are also stopping at Kari Foreman's house in Colorado for a home cooked meal...Looking forward to that as well!