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Audrey H-
Q- How did you feel when you first found out you were going to be wearing the legendary #11?
A- My number that I wore growing up was 10, but it wasn't available at the time so I chose #11. It is an honor to wear Julie Foudy's number.
Marilyn-
Q- Is there one quote you live by that you find extremely inspirational for soccer or for your everyday life?
A- "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." Randy Pausch
Everest M-
Q- When you are about to take a shot and you see where the keeper is and then you look back down to see the ball and time it, what is going through your mind just before you shoot the ball? Or do you think about the shot long before you take it?
A- Shooting, like anything takes a lot of practice and eventually you don’t think about where you are placing the ball on long range shots. You just hit it and with good form and technique it will be a good shot. When I am inside the box you have to be patient and see where the goalie is standing and place your shot. Before I am taking a shot I just make sure Im thinking about my technique.
Audrey H-
Q- Do you think about what your going to do to get around players/ place the ball or is it instinct in a game?
A- At the age I am at now, I do not think about what move I am going to do to get around the defender. It is mostly instinct. All the hours and hard work that I put in when I was younger has allowed me to just pull moves by instinct. When I shoot I try to pick a spot out in the goal and hit it there. The more accurate you get the easier that will be. You want to make sure you have the right technique down before trying to placing the ball in the net.
Nicole M- NJ-
Q- What tips can you give me to getting faster?
A- Well the only tip I can give you is to attend a speed and quickness session through
Universal
Soccer
Academy
. I am not an expert on speed and quickness, but I have gotten faster and quicker through Universal. I know you have to do a lot of short sprints and work on your first few steps and make sure you are strong in your muscles. Check out www.universalsocceracademy.com
Kelsey-
Q- How do you prepare yourself to play on a day when the weather is at an extreme, either hot or cold, humid or dry, or sunny or rainy? Does that change the way you think about or how you play your game?
A- My pregame routine is usually the same every game. (Stretching, hydrating, running on treadmill to get loose) but when the weather conditions are going to be extremely hot I make sure I am hydrating more than ever. I always drink a lot of water but when I know it’s going to be really hot I drink an extra amount. Every game is different, with different opponents, different game conditions and different game strategy so you just have to adjust each game.
Harli S- CA
Q- How do you keep your self esteem and confidence up?
A- Its hard being young and involved in competitive sports. I remember struggling a lot when i was younger, with not playing and not feeling I was good enough. I didn’t have a lot of confidence until I joined Universal Soccer Academy 5 years ago with my trainer James Galanis. He changed the way I think and trained. The one thing I can tell you is to spend as much time as you can training. The more hours you put in with soccer the more it will pay off down the road. You can never train enough.
Kayci H-
Q- How do you get over making a bad play? How do you get over having a bad game?
A- Sounds like you are analyzing your performances too much. You are always going to make mistakes, even the best players in the world make mistakes. You need to learn to move on and worry about the next play. Just stay positive after a bad game, a good game will always follow.
Shannon- NJ
Q- How much training have you gotten that got you where you are today?
A- I have spent countless hours training from my youth days on up. I was very dedicated to soccer and made many sacrifices to get where I am at. I love it though so every hour and every sacrifice I made was worth it. If you want to be good at anything you have to invest a lot of time in it to improve and get better.
Kelsey-
Q- I wanted to know what is it like being on the Women’s National Team?
A- Being on the National Team is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I get to travel around the world, meet different people, and represent my country. It is so much fun to be able to say I play soccer for a living. How many people can say they are playing the sport they love as their job!
R.M- NJ
Q- My daughter loves the game and is a great player. What advice can you give me as far as which direction she should be going in to get to play at the level you have achieved?
A- Your daughter should start by practicing and playing as much as she can on her own. She should also look for a team that has aspirations to win State Cups. That should point her in the right direction to play at a higher level of soccer.
Emily R- NJ
Q- How much dedication did it take to become the soccer player you are today?
A- It took a lot of dedication and hard work to get to where I am today and the work doesn’t end even though I am a National Team Player. I scarified many things. Proms, high school dances, vacations, holidays with my family and friends, but it really was all worth it, because I love what I do. The most important thing is to train as hard as you can and for as many hours as you can. If it’s with your team, or training sessions, or even in your backyard by yourself. You just have to constantly practice and work hard to get to the next level.
Ashley M-
Q- I know a lot of people listen to music before a game, including myself, do you listen to anything special before a game or practice?
A- I don’t listen to anything specific. I tend to listen to slower songs and whatever songs are my favorite at the time. It just depends on how I am feeling before a game. Sometimes I put my ipod on shuffle and play songs at random.
Lauren B-
Q- I was wondering if you just relaxed and played video games when not training or playing soccer?
A- Yes, I love playing video games. I bought the Wii right before thanksgiving and try to play once or twice when I am home on break. I also have the Nintendo DS which I always travel with since the team and I are flying and traveling a lot of the time.
Gabby G- NJ
Q- I was just wondering if you were nervous when you did your first live game in front of thousands of people, because i know i definitely would be.
A- I have been lucky because I have played before in front of crowds throughout college so that made it a little bit easier for me, but I was a little nervous as I still am whenever I play.
Cindy M- IA
Q- If there was one piece of advice or words of wisdom you could give a college soccer player what would it be?
A- One piece of advice would be to have no regrets. Train as hard as you can and clock in as many hours as you can. It’s all about the hours you put in. If you put in a lot of hours throughout the week you will get rewarded at some point. Work hard and spend as much time working on every aspect within the game during those hours.
Danessa R- NJ
Q- I just want to tell that you’re my hero. The way you play makes me want to play even harder. I have been playing since 3rd grade and now as I finish my freshman year I’m more passionate than ever. Next year when I’m a sophomore I AM going to make the varsity girl’s soccer team. I just want to get your opinion, If you were a coach what would you look for in a player?
A- If I were a coach, I would look for a player who can concentrate and who works hard consistently.
Roelof B-
Q- What is your pregame warm-up? Is it similar to your prepractice warm-up?
A- My pregame warm-up involves mentally preparing, hydrating, and stretching. My training warm-up involves 100% focus before and during practice, getting a good warm-up in and stretching a lot.
