The Yellow Armband: Senior Week
10/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 19, 2011
Hello Michigan fans!
As I write this Yellow Armband, I am probably going to shed a few tears because for the first time, the thought of my college soccer days coming to an end is finally becoming a reality. This week, Kim Siebert, Kristen Goncalves, and I will be celebrating Senior Week by participating in a variety of fun events. On Monday, Kristen hosted the Ryan:90, and had the distinct honor of grilling Coach Ryan with some interesting questions. Kristen, Kim and I were also interviewed by MGoBlue.com on our college experience, and had a ton of fun at practice on Tuesday participating in some team-based games. Clare and Haley had the privilege of adding commentary to it, which is bound to get a few laughs. It isn't online yet, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. We did!
Although I am very sad, my team, as always, is keeping every moment we spend together entertaining, so I know the seniors will be sent off on a good note. This past weekend at Purdue was no exception. After coming off two tough losses, we came together as a team, talked about what we needed to do to get back on track, and went out on the field and proved it. After pretty much controlling the game for 90 minutes and allowing Purdue very few chances, we came out with a solid 3-1 victory as Nkem Ezurike scored all three goals. Although the fans didn't throw any hats onto the field for her, our entire team united on the sideline to celebrate Nkem's awesome accomplishment!
Okay, so maybe I'm shedding a little more than a few tears writing this Yellow Armband. I'm remembering the bus rides, the funny movies, singing throwback songs at the top of our lungs, playing "Back of the Bus," our amazing bus driver and new close friend Jerry, eating so much food that we feel sick to our stomachs, scaring people in the hotel ... I could reminisce forever about the fun things we do on road trips, but to be honest, no matter what this team does, as long as we're together we're going to have a blast. I have made many amazing friends on this team, and our team chemistry is truly unique and exceptional. My days on the soccer field with these girls may be coming to an end, but I know we'll remain life-long friends because that's just the type of team we are!
Our final two home games are this weekend. We play archrival Ohio State at 7 p.m. Friday (Oct. 21) and the defending Big Ten champion, Penn State, at noon on Sunday (Oct. 23), in which we will be celebrating Senior Day. Please come out and cheer us on!
GO BLUE!
