As the semester comes to a close, so do the sports seasons. For our athletic collegiettes, this means final matches, races and NCAA tournaments. The Skidmore women’s soccer team finished their season in the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament, the farthest in the school’s history! With a 13-7-1 record for the season, Skidmore met its final match against no.1 Messiah. Team Captain, Katie Rasche ’12 has played soccer as long as she can remember, and has been with the lady Thoroughbreds since her freshman year. Katie shared with us at Her Campus, reflections on her teammates, their performance in the tournament this year, and her soccer career, which came to a finish this November.
Her Campus: How would you describe the team?
Katie Rasche:It’s kind of hard to describe the group of girls that makes up this team, but I guess what it comes down to is a really awesome combination of skills, interests and personalities. We study subjects all across the curriculum, come from all over the country, and we’re super competitive and supportive of each other. We can be pretty loud and sarcastic, but I also like to think we’re a lot of fun. For me this team is really more of a family than anything else. Of all the teams I’ve been on, I’ve never felt as close to my teammates or as much a part of something as I have with these people. We’re just a really quirky, cohesive group that loves the game and loves each other.
HC: What have been the team’s biggest challenges this year?
KR:This year in particular our biggest challenge has been adjusting to a new coach.
Not to say that that was challenging in a bad way, but just getting used to playing different positions, having different responsibilities, and doing different drills and things like that.
HC: What does your role as captain mean to you?
KR: For me, being a captain means being there for your teammates, on and off the field, whenever they need it. It’s about setting examples through how you act and what you say, and stepping outside of yourself and your wants to provide for your teammates. Sometimes it requires you to step beyond your comfort zone more than you’d like, but that comes with the title. I try to send the message to the other girls that being a part of the Skidmore women’s soccer team is about being a good role model and responsible person just as much as it is about being a good player.
HC: How do you feel about how far the team made it in the NCAA tournament this year?
KR: I’m absolutely ecstatic about making it to the second round of NCAA’s this year. I can’t count very many times in my life where I’ve been so happy that I cried, but getting to the second round this season was definitely one of them. This is the farthest we’ve ever made it in school history and, for me at least, it was particularly impressive because it was a whole team effort. Every single player contributed to our success this season. I’m very proud of how hard we all worked to get to this point, and really excited to see how far the team can go next year.
HC: What were the best victories and challenges of the tournament this year?
KR:Our best victory of the tournament was definitely beating MIT in penalty kicks in the first round. We made it to the first rounds my freshman year and lost in penalty kicks, so it was great, especially for the seniors, to be on the upper end of that this year. And even though we lost in the second round to Messiah, I’d say that game was still a pretty big moral victory for us—definitely a high point in the season. Every one of our players had an inspired game that day, and to be able to compete with the number one team in the country, that’s a huge testament to the character of our players and our program.
HC: What are your biggest hopes for the team as a senior in your last year of play?
KR: Going into the season my two goals were to make it past the first round of NCAA’s and to win the Liberty League championship. We accomplished one of those, and now that my senior season is over I guess I’m counting on the team next year to bring home the Liberty League title! I’m really just hoping for the team to be able to build on the success we had this year and continue to take the program places it hasn’t been before.
HC: What message would you like to send to our readers?
KR: Come to more games! Definitely come to more games. Even if you don’t like watching soccer, come anyway. I think it’s so important that the student body supports each other, whether that’s in the arts or athletics or whatever. The amount of time that people put into the things they’re passionate about at this school is way too much to not have the support of your peers.