"U.Va. women's club soccer: We do it in 11 different positions for 90 minutes."Certainly enough to grasp anyone's attention, but it seems that there is more to the women's club team than this enticing slogan from their cups at a recent Biltmore bar night.
This fall, the club team built on its successes from last year and advanced all the way to the Championships Division of the national tournament in Alabama for the first time in team history. The tournament proved a great success, as Virginia upset Michigan, the defending national champs, on its way to the quarterfinals.
In that match, the team dropped a close game to Colorado State, who would end up advancing all the way to the finals. Senior club president Provi Spina elaborated on the incredibly successful season.
"We have so much talent on this team that even though I am so excited about the results we had, I'm not that surprised," she said.
An interesting aspect of the nature of the women's club soccer team is that they practice and play without a coach.The players point out that the lack of a primary authority figure can sometimes make things confusing and difficult, but that the team embraces the challenge.
"We basically run a democracy, everyone contributes and listens to what their teammates say," Spina said. "I think it says a lot about the character of the team that we can play so well even without a coach."
Senior goalkeeper Nicole Leyton furthered these thoughts.
"I think that this season our team has really embraced these responsibilities, which has enabled us to succeed," she said.
Spina also noted that the club team has improved over the years by competing more on the national and regional level. Unlike in the past, when Virginia would focus on each game individually, the team now has the attainable goal of reaching the National Tournament. Spina explained that the team played a more rigorous schedule to prepare for Nationals.
"We made a big effort to play ranked teams outside our region this year, like Penn State and University of Delaware, in order to prepare ourselves for the big teams we see at nationals," she said.
The team proved exceptionally strong this fall with its balance of veteran seniors and new freshmen. Junior Nicole Demoss acknowledged the impact of this year's freshman class.
"I think we gained a lot of speed, a lot of heart and a lot of versatility with the girls we picked up this year, and that really made the difference," Demoss said.
As the team began to take shape, the squad was able to beat their biggest in-state rival, JMU, three out of the four times they met as they advanced to the Regional and National tournaments.Demoss explained that by the end of the season, the blend of old and new faces had the team "connecting unlike any of the club soccer teams I have played on these last three years."
And although Demoss claims that hard work has led to the team's success, the junior was quick to point out that "this team is all about one thing, and that's having fun" and "by spending time with the 22 girls on this team, you can't help but have a good time."President Spina also noted that the team's focus still is on "having fun and enjoying the sport and your teammates, which is what makes playing on the team so worthwhile."
Thus, having completed their most successful season in history, and with an amazing crop of freshmen, the future looks bright for women's club soccer at U.Va.
By balancing ideals of democracy, hard work and mostly fun, the club team looks to make a run at the National tournament for many seasons to come.
Now, about those eleven different positions...
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