Oct. 29, 2010
One of my favorite things about being in the Atlantic 10 Conference (besides the layovers in Atlanta, of course) is coming to the Northeast during the fall. What a beautiful place to fly into, drive through and play soccer! Since our trips to these cities are usually spaced a week or two apart, I always look forward to seeing how the trees have changed. This week, Philadelphia did not disappoint. The trees are green and golden and dance in the wind, giving up a red leaf every now and then.

From our hotel window ledge, Kristyn Gawin and I talk about the trees and the city. We have been here numerous times over four years, and it has always been a hard trip. The weather usually requires our blue puffy coats; delays at the airport are unquestionable; and city driving is not necessarily what you would call easy with three 15-passenger vans. But, we don't talk about any of these things. Maybe it is the fact that this is our last regular-season trip, or maybe it is just being able to share a room with a fellow senior friend, but we talk about how much we will miss these trips - delays, difficulties and all.

The reality of the loss against Charlotte last week is that we must win the next two games to have a chance to make one more trip to the A-10 Championship. That trip would take us to Rhode Island. The trees there, in another week, will be beautiful. I believe our team can beat anyone, and I believe we can make it to the tournament. We have a wonderful support system, from all the parents flying to see us play here in Philly, to Janet Oberle giving us one final high-five as we get on the bus for the airport, to all our friends who hoot and holler crazy things like "HONOR!" at the games. That will take us a long way. With a little self-belief, I think we can go the whole way.

Oct. 23, 2010
This year, in some respects, we have been lucky. Three games left in conference play, and we are having our first layover in the Atlanta airport. "Hotlanta" to some, home to Kim and NeNe of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" to others. This junction is by far the craziest airport to fly through. As we raced through the airport to make our connection to Charlotte, I felt more threatened than when dodging cars across Grand on the way to class. It was the same run-over-or-get-run-over sort of world.

At times like these, it's hard to see airports as bringing out anything but the worst in people. Even the snippets of conversation I heard on the way from Gate T (as in Tango) to Gate B (as in Bravo) were centered around the general topics of annoyance and anger (actual conversation: "Pick your feet up! I can't stand hearing you clunk!"). These are the times when I appreciate my team the most - I have 25 lovely faces that smile back at me in the bustling airport crowd. For someone who doesn't do well in loud crowds, this is a huge reassurance. If I get lucky, I can even hold someone's hand going down the escalator (my biggest fear!).

Great teammates are able to support one another in times like these, when things get crazy, busy, a bit overwhelming. I believe I have 25 great teammates. I look forward to how they support one another at Charlotte - like the Atlanta airport, this game seems to get a bit crazier than all the others.

Oct. 14, 2010
The game of soccer is many things. It's fast and requires skill, spark and creativity. It is, in a word, magical. Goals many times seem to come out of nowhere, pulled out of a hat, waved on by some mysterious, invisible wand. Jenny Hummert's goal this past Sunday was one of those magical moments. Just as a magician's assistant twirls in front of the disappearing apparatus to distract the audience, Maggie Baumann streaked up the sideline, diverting the attention of St. Bonaventure's backline, leaving Jenny unmarked, open enough to execute her trick. Magic.

Perhaps what is most delightful about the magic of soccer is the feeling that it can come from anywhere. The magic can be as big as scoring a game-winning goal or as small as putting a bit of spin on a ball served across the field. Sometimes I think we forget where all this magic started - in the back of minivans, in the extensive network of soccer carpools, in the numerous oranges cut and juice boxes cooled. Our parents, our never-ending drivers, carpoolers, snack-providers, are the magicians. Their magic fairy dust got us to practice on time, put new cleats under the Christmas tree and inspired us to work hard and push farther.

As Senior Day approaches, I want to send out a special acknowledgment to all the parents who take part in the magic. To those of you who wave your wands, blink twice, say "ABRACADABRA!" - thank you, thank you, thank you! For you, we will try to work a little more magic this weekend; when you come to the games, however, watch very carefully - you never know when the magic will begin.

Oct. 8, 2010
Against my better literary judgment, this week I am going to support a cliché: Expect the unexpected. As evidence for my new reasoning, here are just a few instances when I might have been a bit more prepared. Take them as tips from a seasoned soccer senior. When you fly from St. Louis to the East Coast, expect delays in Atlanta and Chicago. When you play in Rhode Island, expect monsoon-like rainstorms. When the national anthem is about to play at the University of Iowa, expect Kanye West instead. When you are traveling by coach bus, expect to be on the driver's time, Romario's time.

When you play college soccer, there are many things you don't quite expect. You don't always perceive the injuries you might endure or the amount of sacrifice you'll make over four or five years. It's hard to understand the extent to which you feel connected to the women on your team, or the joy you find in simply juggling with a friend before practice. Although losing is just as much a part of soccer as winning, I don't think anyone on our team expected to have such a low-scoring season as we are having. Despite keeping up with shot tallies in most of our games, it's been difficult to finish.

So, this weekend, expect the unexpected. Expect goals galore! As a recent student-athlete speaker told us, "You'll never outperform your self-belief system." Just in case, I plan to wear my socks inside out. A little rally-cap luck never hurt anyone.

Sept. 15, 2010
When the going gets tough, the tough get ... a little homesick. After three consecutive Thursdays of travel, it felt good to play at home this past Sunday. It was good to gear up in our own locker room; good to hear our own warm-up mix play; good to see our loved ones in the stands; and especially good to be greeted by Sparky and Milo, Kristyn Gawin's relentlessly tail-wagging friendly labs. Undoubtedly, we all could use a little more of this kind of home.

On our trip to Texas, we experienced a little bit of what home means to Kailey Pretzlaff, one of our freshmen. Her home, set in the background of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was nothing like what I imagined a Texas home to be. There were no cowboys, no silver belt buckles, not even a lone star flag flying proudly out front. Although Jerry Jeff Walker didn't greet us when we arrived for dinner, we were embraced by Kailey's parents with big Texas love and fed wonderful Tex-Mex fare. Sometimes, home surprises us in all the right ways.

Despite our losses to SMU in Dallas and to Louisville this past weekend, I think the team is finally starting to feel at home with our play. This feels good, almost as good as a jump-hug from Sparky. As someone wise recently told me, "Sometimes, you have to lose to win." Sometimes, maybe, you have to lose at home to win BIG.

Aug. 27, 2010
Welcome SLU women's soccer fans! Welcome to another season with the wonderful Bills. We are so thankful for your support and honored to share with you all that this season has to offer. I, especially, am honored to share with you a little insight from the team, some lighthearted tales from the road and a whole lot of Billiken pride.

Like many college students, student-athletes rarely get anything right the first time around. The women's soccer team, which is quite well put together, is no exception. We make mistakes, we forget, we slip up, we space out. To use the words of Louisa in "The Sound of Music," "we flit, we float, we fleetly flee, we fly."

Just this week, as I was preparing this first blog, I was under the premise we would be traveling to Philadelphia for our first on-the-road matches. "How perfect!" I thought, for Philly, you see, is home of some epic firsts. You name it, the Philadelphians did it first:

1) first American flag, thank you Betsy Ross;
2) first Philly cheesesteak sandwich (duh, right?);
3) first daily newspaper - the Pennsylvania Evening Post - and if that's not impressive these days, the first computer as well;
4) first in brotherly lovin';
5) first Billiken women's soccer win of the 2010 season.

See, you hardly notice the last one, just slips right in there as a nice quippy little way to wrap up the blog. Alas, I slipped up. Our plane tickets read PITTSBURGH, not PHILADELPHIA. Fortunately, however, imperfections in planning, common as they are, help us to grow, mature and make adjustments accordingly. Champions adjust, right?

I believe the team, after a hard week of practice making a few adjustments from our opening weekend, is ready for a little of that champion success. Perhaps Pittsburgh, after all, is just the place for our first win. It may not be the city to claim the oldest or longest list of accolades, but Pittsburgh can hold its own, has a history of rebuilding itself, and as the view from our hotel shows, is big, bold and stunningly beautiful.