Summer Check In

Posted by Kristen Kastelic, Sophomore

We are almost a month into summer and I’m sure everyone is enjoying the break. While it is nice have some time off and relax, we all have to remember our goal in the fall to win the GNAC (eyes on the prize!!!). It’s important that while we are all apart, we work as hard as we can for each other so we can come back better and ready to win!

I just finished my freshman year at MSUB and I had such a great time. I love being a student-athlete, and I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to be part of an amazing team! We had a great fall and great spring season, and I feel like every time our team plays together we get better and better. I can’t wait for next season because I know we can accomplish all our goals, and I know that everyone is going to put everything they have into this summer and next fall so we can win the GNAC.

Summer has been good for me so far, it is nice and hot here in Arizona and I’m loving it! I just got a job as a summer camp counselor. I’m excited that I will get to play with kids all day! We get to play games, swim, and rock climb; it should be a lot of fun. I hope we get to play soccer too :)!

Most of the team is going to Mexico in a few days! I hope everyone has a safe trip and lots of FUN!!! I wish I could be there! Enjoy the rest of summer everyone!!!

Summer Check In

Posted by Andrea Baytaluke, Sophomore

Summer time is a time for self reflection. It gives you the opportunity to focus on the things that you as an individual know you need to improve on. Knowing my teammates as well as I do, I know everyone is at home working hard, striving to become the best they can be for next year. We all work well together and are all great friends, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t all fight and battle for a place on the team. Whether it’s for a starting spot or to keep a starting spot, everyone has a goal they need to accomplish.

This past year as a freshman at MSUB has brought many changes for me, especially being from another country. Each change has brought out a new side of me and I am grateful for the opportunity to grow as a person, student and athlete. As a young adult, I have had to push myself as an individual on and off the soccer field. I have also been pushed by my coaches and teammates, as well as by my professors in the classroom. I have found that everyone is extremely supportive of each other and more than willing to help each other with any problems on and off the field.

With that being said, I can't wait to see the team again and miss them a ton! THUMBS UP FOR BEING REUNITED IN MEXICO in 15 DAYS YEEEEHAAAAAWW!!!

Summer Check In

Posted by Danielle Gordon, Junior

Summer has finally arrived in Billings and it was sad say goodbye for the summer, but the break will be well utilized! We will all be using the time we have to clear our minds from school and put focus toward one goal: soccer. We will make steps towards accomplishing that goal through the work we are about to put in this summer. Something I have really enjoyed about transferring to MSUB from a junior college is the change in pace and work ethic; a pace that continues year round from the girls and the coaching staff.

Transferring from a junior college has been not only a change in pace on the pitch, but also in the classroom, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. By being pushed farther in the classroom and outside in soccer, I had to make a few adjustments in my study habits to make sure I would be able to accomplish the goals that I have set for myself in school. Unfortunately, I had to cut out the late night street soccer games that my old men’s and women’s teams enjoyed on a regular basis at Iowa Western, but in the end it has made me a better all around student-athlete. It has also given me a lot of appreciation for the girls who have been here before me and put in the time and effort to make this program what it is today.

I was fortunate to play for a very good junior college program for the two years prior and have them to thank for where I am today. Now I am at MSUB with a great bunch of friends and teammates, along with a supportive yet demanding coaching staff that I know will help me keep moving forward. One thing I was nervous for was the transition, meeting a new team and fitting into a new family; but in the end everything was very easily made as all of the girls were very welcoming and made me feel right at home, especially the three girls who took me in the middle of the summer as a last minute roommate :-)

I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to work for this summer. I cannot wait to return back to my family away from home and put together the work we have completed over the summer into an atmosphere that is set up for success. I miss all of you girls!!! And over the next couple of months let’s keep our “Eyes on the Prize!”

Summer Check In

Posted by Sami Sandau, Senior

It is finally summer!!! Finals were tough, as they usually are. Everyone on the team who is going home for summer has already left and they are already enjoying their families’ home cooked meals. This summer will be a good break for everyone, but by the end of it everyone will be ready to come back and play. For us seniors, it is the summer before our last season here at MSUB; I think I speak for everyone when I say we hope it will be the best season yet!

This summer the team needs to keep up with the fitness status that we ended the year with so that there is no time wasted next fall. The team had a perfect record of everyone finishing the YBMI at the end of the spring (never has that happened)!

My summer is going to be relaxed, as I hope everyone else's will be, too. My son, Koby, will be turning two years old on the 15th of this month and I plan on having anyone who stayed this summer over to help celebrate. Working out will be good, as Koby likes to yell at me to go fast while I am running. He obviously enjoys the stroller runs. I am looking forward to a nice summer and I hope that everyone else enjoys it as much as me. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, BE SAFE, and I will see some of you in MEXICOOOO!!! :)

Don't Say Goodbye, Say See You Soon

Posted by Chelsea Libby, Alumni (05-09)

I remember my first day at MSUB, feeling scared, excited, nervous and not knowing what to expect. As a freshman you come in not knowing anyone, but the girls who seem like strangers to you quickly become your closest friends and teammates. Soccer bonds us together in a unique way because you go through so much together; from preseason practices two times a day, the grueling fitness, countless hours of season practices, to many, many games. There are good times and bad, but this team sticks together like no other team and finds a way to help each other push through everything we endure. Every time I ran a fitness test or lined up for sprints, I knew I had 24 other girls lining up with me, pushing through the same physical
pain that I was; I knew I had to do my part to push them in the same way that they were pushing me. If that isn't true friendship or a good teammate, I don't know what is.

When I look back at the last five years I've spent here at MSUB, I can't believe it is coming to an end. It really flew by! I have had the time of my life living as a student-athlete. I have met the most amazing people, this team has become a family to me and I have a lot of memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It will be painful to leave all of it behind. But I know I won't really fully be leaving it behind. I have left my mark here, and MSUB has left a mark on me. A part of me wishes it wasn't all coming to an end. But at the same time I am excited to start the next chapter of my life. The MSUB women's soccer program has helped shape me into the person I am today. I will use everything this program has taught me in my everyday life to hopefully make an impact on others as this program has made on me.

The best advice I can give is to not take it for granted, have fun and run with it because this is a once in a lifetime experience. I won't say goodbye because goodbye means forever, so for now I'll just say see you soon. I will truly miss all of you girls. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to get know you and play with all of you and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

Reflections from a Graduating Senior

Posted by Caitlin Differding, Alumni (06-09)

As I'm coming to the end of my time here at MSUB, I realize how much I have grown as a person over the last 4 years. This is largely due to the MSUB women's soccer team. As a freshman, I came in not knowing a single person and no one knew me, yet some how, within the first week of practice, we became a family. A family that stuck it out through jingle jangles, 14 hour road trips, and painful losses; a family that had each others' backs no matter what.

It's bittersweet leaving this team behind. As much as I am excited about starting a new chapter in my life, a part of me doesn't want this current chapter to end. I can honestly say that without this team, I would not be who I am today. It seems like no matter how hard things got, we managed to stick together. As much as we disliked running sprints at 7 am during the winter, there was something about knowing that the person next to you wants you to succeed just as much as they want to succeed themselves, which made getting out of bed before the sun much more bearable. I never thought it was possible to be a part of something so great with people so incredible.

As graduation nears, I look back and realize how blessed I was to be apart of something so amazing, so fun! The memories I have created with this team will stick with me forever. I have met people I will never forget, experienced things that only a few can and survived being a student-athlete. If someone asked me to do it all again, I would in a heartbeat, no doubt about it!

To the current girls on the team, I will miss you all so much, and wish you the best of luck next year. To the new girls; all I have to say is enjoy the ride....its awesome!!

Senior Weekly Update

Posted by Carly Valentine, Senior

This past week was a busy week for the team! School is winding down and unfortunately finals are upon us. With it being the week before all our big tests, we had some major studying to do. Many of us had early finals, as well as hours of studying to accomplish. We are very proud of our team GPA and I know everyone is doing their best to keep it high.

Although we were extremely busy, it isn't unlike our team to load our schedules no matter what! Despite all the studying and tests we had going on, we still volunteered at a Homeless Shelter for Animals (Help for Homeless Pets), which is an excellent home for homeless pets on the south side of Billings. This experience was everything we thought it would be and more. We showed up around 10:00AM and stayed for about two or three hours. We did everything from cleaning kennels to walking dogs. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was an amazing experience and very rewarding, not to mention most of us wanted to adopt an animal!

As the school year is winding down and summer is approaching, I know everyone is anxious; anxious for our grades, our tests and of course a relaxing summer! All of us will be spread out this summer. Some will be going home to states such as Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona. Some will be going home to an entirely different country, Canada. And some of us are staying in Billings. Even though we will all be apart and have different things to go through, I have no doubt we are all thinking about the same thing: the approaching fall season. We will all be working out hard and preparing ourselves for the GNAC. I'll miss all my girls, but it's great to know we are all preparing for the same thing and I am so excited to see everyone again come August!