Case Women's Soccer

Summer 2011

2011-08-08T08:11:00.001-04:00

by Anna Kennedy '12 (Evanston, IL)

So many people warned me that college was going to fly by… I didn’t believe them until now. Here I am preparing for my last ever season of collegiate soccer. It is crazy. But I’ll tell you this much- it helps when those days come around and you feel like rolling back over and not going to your morning workout, you pop RIGHT up. Knowing the end is so close… I’m not going out without putting my all in.

This summer has been a catch-up and getting myself back to the old, dare I say pre-cancer, Kennedy. I am not working at a job; I took classes to replace my dropped classes from last year so I can graduate on time (why I want to enter the real world I do not know…), and I am preparing for the upcoming amazing soccer season Case Women’s soccer has coming up. The great part about this summer is I am finding it’s not me getting back to where I was pre-“the big C”, it’s me becoming a new and better athlete, student, and person in general.

I have been SO fortunate to have the opportunity to train in a way I haven’t ever in my summers going into season before. For the past two and a half months I have been training with Northwestern University’s Goalkeeper Coach, Bayard Elfvin and two Division I goalkeepers. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to be involved with. From the great coaching and training from Bayard to the intense and focused atmosphere from the two D1 (DePaul and Valparaiso) girls, twice a week my body AND GKing mind got a great workout. For goalkeeping, running, lifting, sprint workouts, all of that will not come CLOSE to preparing you for season. Training for 2 hours twice a week with focusing on just our position is something all three of us were so grateful for. To put it in perspective of how good this training was, the Valparaiso keeper drover 1.5 hours one-way to come… It has really helped, and hopefully will show come season!

This summer has been great preparation for what is to come August 19^th. I cannot wait, and all the girls I have talked to this summer can say the same, this season is about to be something special.

Spring Break Adventures - Round 3

2011-03-20T10:54:00.004-04:00

Journey to the Center of the ~~Earth~~, Alabama: the Adventures of Devyn Lee, Maeve Goede, Alyssa Lauzau, Amanda Wojahn, and Kristina Vaci

Day 1, Saturday March 5, 2011

We started our journey at the Goede household, feasting on the food of their homeland of golden potatoes…and the most delicious mint chocolate chip pie. We learned that all collies do are look for kids in wells and that Irish people (a.k.a. maeve) can’t actually pronounce irish words such as shillelagh.

Day 2, Sunday March 6, 2011

We awoke at 5 am, and Mrs. Goede made us delicious hot chocolate. If only Maeve could be that cool. After a long morning of flying with a layover in Nashville, we officially made it to new Orleans. Woj picked us up with her aunts and mom and off to Alabama we went! As soon as we got to golf shores, Alabama we ran to the beach and frolicked in the water. Devo looked gorgeous in the sunset. Then we passed out 11…that was weird

Day 3, Monday March 7, 2011

We awoke to beautiful weather in the 60’s and immediately changed into bathing suits and went out to the beach! As always we had to be careful of Maeve’s precious albino skin, thus she layered.

As we lay in the lovely sun (and on top of a jellyfish graveyard considering they decided to do a mass suicide the week we came), we decided it would be a brilliant idea to jump in the ocean…turns out it was really cold. After about 5 minutes in the water we ran out of the water to go into the hot tubs. As we passed a lady and her daughter in sweaters and pants as where we were from, when we responded Cleveland, her response was ‘oh, that makes sense’. We fit in perfectly in Alabama!

So being in the south, the only thing that anyone ever really wants to do is eat Gumbo. That was my goal from the minute we left Cleveland, Ohio. For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant and my destiny was fulfilled. We ended the night with lovely card games and watching the Princess and the Frog in honor of being in the south and going down the bayou.

Day 4, Tuesday March 8, 2011

Woj’s aunts surprised us in the morning with some man catching beignets. We then set out to build the most epic sandcastle of all times, we named it…seahorse chateau. It was a most epic castle with 2 foot deep moat and 5 tiers with a most epic seashell flag. We then set out to experience Mardi Gras at it’s finest with a parade. Though Maeve wanted to flash the floats to get beads, we told her only tourists do that and she had to stop. After we each got a pound of beads we went off to adventure island, the most wonderful and dangerous mini golf in the south. Though it was tough, and Woj failed epically, the winner won by a long shot (*cough* me). We then grabbed some pizza and had several car honks our way.
Day 5, Wednesday March 9, 2011

The storm of the century hit Wednesday morning, lightning flashed all around us, thunder shook the structure of the building where we resided, gale force winds blew furniture and people through the air…but seriously there was a storm and we watched the rain come and had a tornado warning. We had a lazy Wednesday and watched movies. We ended the night playing cards and listening to lil jon and his inspirational go get ‘em words about taking it, because its yours.

Day 6, Thursday March 10, 2011

For the last day of our trip it was the loveliest day yet! It was bright and sunny and warm! We laid out all afternoon, with Alyssa and Maeve reapplying sun tan lotion every hour so as not to burn…they still burned, Maeve specifically in odd places on her arm and as a hickey on neck. We are still mind boggled. In the evening we went to a restaurant complete with trivia in which we won a tshirt and were treated to the amazing pleasure of a magician…who actually looked very sketchy in which we had to make sure everything was still in our wallets. We also had the pleasure of being hit on by a fine southern gentleman…in which we engaged in conversation about how he knew a girl named Adrian that moved to ohio…pure romance.

Day 7, March 11, 2011

We are now flying home to love Cleveland which apparently has a foot of snow awaiting us. We are not happy campers, but we did get the joy of having a flight attendant who liked playing songs over the loudspeaker and talk about musical chairs. Good times, it was a fabulous spring break and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it J

By,
Kristina Vaci '12

Spring Break Adventures - Round 2

2011-03-20T10:41:00.005-04:00

Rachel Bourque '14

So for Spring break 2011 I went to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to visit my grandfather with my mom. It was so amazing to get away from the cold and just relax, I didn't do much while in florida, basically just laid out in the sun at the pool or beach. But as you can see from the picture below, my mom and I went to see a Red Sox spring training game in Ft. Myers! and for all of you who don't know who is in the picture (shame on you) its WALLY the best baseball mascot ever. And the beautiful picture above is sadly not where we stayed in Florida, but where my mom and I snuck into to use their awesome pool...and stole towels so we can return next year :). WOO GO SOX,CELTICS AND PATRIOTS.

Alex Litofsky '12

A relaxing week in Punta Cana in La República Dominicana with mi familia consisted of playing in the ocean, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of sunshine on my shoulders, and practicing un poco de español. ¡Qué divertido! The week ended with this photo, which was taken, amid much hilarity, by my brother in the Philadelphia airport.

Kerry Martenis '14 (picture to come!)

My spring break was spent at home in ever exciting Southgate, Michigan. I visited my grandma for a couple days, but other than that I was home hanging with my friends. We went to movies, had dinner, and played some soccer, but not too much since there was still snow everywhere. Overall, I just relaxed and gave my poor brain a well-earned break. The only downside was that break wasn’t longer. But now I'm recharged and ready to get back to work!

Spring Break Adventures - Round 1

2011-03-14T11:13:00.016-04:00

Sammy Sarett '12 and Anna Kennedy '12

We had a blast in Florida this week! Here is a picture from it. Sorry it's not one of us running on the beach!

Kaitlin Dunn '14

Over break I have been spending a lot of time with my family and friends. And catching up on sleep and real food mmm :) I've been begging my mom for money a lot lately, so I didn't even want to ask about getting a flight to Florida with Rachel or to UT Austin to visit my best friend from home, Hannah. Being home has been relaxing and refreshing though. I included a picture of me and my mangy dog, Bartow (weird name, I know), watching TV. It hasn't been quite at home, though. You all remember my three borthers. Maeve, they've discovered ginger jokes and now that's alllllll they talk about hah. I really don't miss the Cleveland weather, the sun actually shines here, but I'm not dreading driving back on Saturday. Can't wait to play with you all this spring!! And I hope everyone had a good break!

Kendra Simmons '13

My family and I went to Sanibel Island in Florida for Spring Break. It was so great to get out of the gray Cleveland weather and have full week of sunshine down south. We relaxed at the pool and on the beach from sun up to sun down and then found some cool local restaurants to eat at each night. We stayed at a beautiful resort called Casa Ybel located right in Sanibel and about ten minutes from Captiva. I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better place to get away from schoolwork for a week.

Becca Vaughan '12

This year I spent my Spring Break in good old Parma, Ohio. Although I would love to say I just vegetated on my couch all week I had a lot of things to do. I had a wonderful opportunity to observe a Speech Language Pathologist a few days, in which I learned so much about the field. Also, I had a job interview for a summer position and I spent numerous hours exploring the requirements for prospective graduate schools. However, the highlight of my break was having my sister drive me around in my car. She has her temporary license and has only had the opportunity to practice in a minivan, so my car became her practice vehicle. Slightly scary experience at first, but I have gotten used to it. I am still in disbelief that she is old enough to drive. Even though I was busy I did get to spend some time on my couch watching Criminal Minds with my dog Daisy. Break went by quickly, but I truly believe I got what I needed, some R & R. How many days until summer?????

Almost spring...

2011-02-22T09:05:00.002-05:00

by Kerry Martenis '14

The second semester has been flying by. It seems like just yesterday I was moving back in after winter break, but now it’s almost time for spring break! Through all this the dedicated women’s soccer team has been working hard in preparation for next season. We have all committed ourselves to being the best we can be so when next season rolls around, we will be the ones on top.

As a team, we just finished our intramural basketball season. We didn’t come out on top, but I’d like to think that we had fun along the way. I will admit though, it was a challenge some days to go out and play after having to do our strongman workouts. But I enjoyed the experience and look forward to playing again next year, even though I’m a pretty useless basketball player.

Now that basketball is over, we just have lifting and our own personal workouts, until after spring break. I can’t wait to lace up my cleats and walk out on that field again. I’m sure we’re all ready to get outside and get some touches on the ball. Speaking of spring, we all got a little dose of spring weather last week which was very refreshing, but I guess Mother Nature just isn’t ready to let go of winter yet. Let’s just hope she decides to roll in spring early this year.

On another note, a little update on the freshmen, we’ve all rushed sororities! There are three ladies in Phi Mu, one in Alpha Phi, one in Phi Sigma Rho, and last but not least one in Delta Gamma. We are the only class to have all rushed, and from what I’ve heard, everyone loves it.

So as we continue on through our second semester, we will continue to work hard on and off the field, or I guess it would be more accurate to say in and out of the weight room. We’ve committed ourselves and we are ready for anything.

Back to work!!

2011-01-26T11:56:00.003-05:00

by Kendra Simmons '13 (Medina, Ohio)

Barely even a week in to the spring semester, the dedicated soccer girls are already back to work, preparing for the upcoming fall season. Even though next season seems forever away, we all know it will come around way faster than expected. Everyone has high standards placed on next year and the best way to attain them is to work harder than anyone else in the offseason.

To do this, Coach Rubin, our strength and conditioning coach/Case's track and field coach set up a regimen for us. We all are committed to lifting three times a week mixed with cardio workouts, all as a team. The rest of the week, we are able to complete our own workouts, whenever we can fit them in around classes. Since we do more sprint-type workouts as a team, I tend to do my longer distance running on my own. Unfortunately due to the lovely snow here in Cleveland, I am stuck on the treadmills inside. Even though our cardio room has nice, new equipment, I'd much rather be outside running in sunny weather! Of course, we like to keep touches on the ball too, so we organize pick-up games, usually on Fridays and play in the field house in Veale. To top everyting off, the team plays in the intramural basketball league every Wednesday and Sunday for a few weeks. Since I played basketball in high school and miss getting to play on a regular basis, I am always excited about lacing up the high tops instead of the cleats and shooting around for a while, but not very many other people get as excited as I do about this!

Even though we all have challenging class schedules, we enjoy making time to work out as a team, better ourselves every day, and have fun together. We never stay away from our soccer teammates for too long! We'll continue this regimen until spring break, then we get to actually have real practices and play in a few games. Befor we know it, we'll be back at Case after the summer, running the beloved beep test the first day of preseason! Can't wait!

The Holidays...ALREADY?!?

2010-12-19T19:04:00.003-05:00

It seems like just a few weeks ago that everyone reported to preseason camp. The season flew by this year, probably because this team was so enjoyable and the challenges we faced on and off the field demanded a lot of time. Regardless, it was a great fall. We finished the season 9-8-1, another above .500 record playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. We faced 5 nationally-ranked teams, 7 teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament, and 3 teams that made it to the Elite Eight of the national tournament (and one in the Final Four). It was by far the most challenging schedule in recent years and our results were impressive, though not exactly what we had envisioned. The bright side...this group ended the season more motivated and energized to build on the season and find even greater success next fall. In their minds, the 2011 season has already begun. That's great news for a coach!

Before the team went home for Winter Break, we took a break from Finals to have our annual end of season Holiday Party. This year was great! As usual, we had a gift exchange (with some coveted gifts and some laughable ones). The big hits this year were a few scarves and some other great Black Friday finds. Some of the more comical ones included the Bootie Bump and few others. We also changed the them and wore ugly holiday sweaters. There were some classics, especially Steph's!

The freshmen were great entertainment this year with their clever rendition of "The 12 Days of Preseason." Their performance certainly puts them in the running for best Holiday Party entertainment.

We also viewed our highlight film which featured some great play from the year, a collection of photos stolen from Vaci's mom's website, and a mini-tribute to this year's senior class (Annie Altenau, Amy Baumann, Steph Chinchen, Cicy Fusco, Frannie Hogan, and Megan Link).

We also announced this year's Spartan Award winner, Anna Kennedy. The Spartan Award is the only team award we give out and it's voted on by every player on the team. It's given to the most dedicated team member and Anna is incredibly deserving.

We also gave another congrats to this year's All-UAA honorees: Kristina Vaci, Kendra Simmons, and Deena Levey (Second Team); Leah Levey and Anna Kennedy (Honorable Mention).

And, finally, the team AGAIN earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for our outstanding team GPA.

2010 was a great year. Collectively, we learned a ton about what's important and what we all need to give to get where we want to go. There's a ton to be excited about in 2011!!

Kicks for a Cause 2010

2010-10-24T22:15:00.003-04:00

While many people would think going through what I had to go through these past 5 months would be miserable, somehow it has been an eye opening experience in so many ways. Getting diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma on June 9^th did throw me off, I won’t lie, but what helped keep me stable through it all was my support that I had surrounding me the whole time; especially my team, coaches, and school.

Coach Tiff has brought a special weekend to our soccer program that helps our team reach out to the community—Kicks for a Cause. Last year we raised money and helped raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association, but this year the team thought it would be a cool idea to support the cancer center that I received treatment at here in Cleveland. Even more specifically we wanted to put the money towards a specific program that University Hospital has, the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Initiative. The main objective of the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Initiative at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital is to not only to raise awareness, but help advance the development of new and needed approaches in the treatment and prevention of cancer (uhhospitals.org).

Like the team has done for me all season long, support me and my task at hand (to beat cancer’s butt), they stepped up and supported this great cause with the same determination they have when we take the field for any given match. So far we have already raised over $4600 through donations, a school bake sale, and 50/50 raffle at our Kicks for a Cause game, and we are still getting donations in!

Not only did my team step up with raising money for the AYA, we also stepped up and showed Westminster College just how serious we were about our cause… This weekend we won a very important game in our hunt for the playoffs 4-0. To make the night all the more special, it was senior night!! Before the game the juniors got to show our love for our fellow seniors by reading letters to each of them and presenting gifts to them.

I want to take this opportunity, in a blog-like-fashion, to thank my teammates and coaches (and all you supporters out there) for supporting such a great cause. Without programs like the Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Initiative, my journey could have ended a lot differently than it did. With our support, time, and commitment to helping the AYA at University Hospital’s Ireland Cancer Center, we can make a lot of other kid’s fight with cancer as successful as mine was.

That Vaci is so creative

2010-10-24T22:11:00.001-04:00

As promised...a public apology to Vaci for not putting up her blog from our first home UAA game on October 9th. Here it is...finally. In all it's glory.

The Legend of the Murder Mystery Mob: A True Tale of Glory

By Kristina Vaci

It was a dark and stormy night, the year was 1914 and only a fool would be caught out in the foggy streets of London. But that’s irrelevant, so we fast-forward to the rugged streets of Cleveland, 2010. The city had been swept up into a life of violence, liquor, and jazz and rival gangs were constantly trying to win street cred. Somehow the current lead gang was the Pansies…or well Violets invading over from New York City. They were trying to slowly take over the world, which brings us to October 6, 2010. Laura, the drifter, was walking the streets glaring down anyone who even thought to look her way. She’d been laying low due to the violet outbreaks when she heard a cry of pain coming from a small alleyway. Always looking for a good fight, Laura dashed in to find a short blond girl standing over a couple of what appeared to be buff football players whimpering. As Laura approached she heard the girl say,

“And you can tell your boss Debuljek if he tries to prank me again I will use all of my training to get him back!” She made a few choppy arm movements that was a mixture of dance and fight to scare them away.

Laura was moved by the fight and approached the girl.

“Hey, wanna start a gang?” Laura asked. The girl eyed her up and down and figured her lanky tall figure would make her great in a fight.

“Sure, why not. Names Kristina, people call me Vaci. Don’t ask why or I have to kill you.” And with that a gang was formed. Both turned down the street, when another blond girl and what could only be a majestic bald eagle ran by quick as lightning with an entire team chasing after them. The duo looked at eachother and nodded and ran after, it had to be interesting. They came onto a field where the girl sturned around thinking they were done for. The team had an intense look in their eyes. Laura and Vaci looked and saw that the single girl had a golden ball and the other one, who turned out to be a body building keeper, was already knocked down in pain. The two girls must have stolen it. Without thinking they rushed to their side and backed them up. The team of girls went into a 4-5-1 formation to start the attack. Suddenly a flash of orange came out of nowhere and joined next to Laura. She had a crazy look in her eye and smelled of oyster crackers. Together they assumed a fighting stance and got ready to battle.

The team from what could only be the slums of Hiram cried out and ran at them but after 90 long minutes were no more. The four fighters looked at each other and applauded their job well done. They picked up the keeper and dashed off into the night.

The talk on the streets were wild with news of this new mob that had murdered the Hiram ladies. No one knew who they were and had never heard of them existing before. Could this be a new rising gang to take over the City of Cleveland? Names floated about but the general consensus was the Murder Mystery Mob.

The violets were not happy to hear of this new mob and immediately took action. They assembled their top 18 fighters and declared an official battle with the mob that Saturday at high noon. The mob sent a parrot to their headquarters saying 11 would work better with the schedules and so it was decided! A battle to gain all street cred of Cleveland!

At 11 that Saturday a crowd assembled to watch what bloodshed would occur. They saw the violets warming up, prancing around and the crowd grew nervous for the mob. As badass music sounded 4 figures approached from the shadows. They had swagger like no one had ever seen. They went to the center of the field and positioned themselves in a line. Sammy the bold on the right with Laura and crazy Maeve in the middle. Vaci ending it on the left. Maeve and Vaci did an intimidating handshake to further send the violets shaking in their shoes and a whistle blew…signaling the fight to begin. The violets came at them in a 4-3-3 formation attacking straight down the middle. It was even ground and though the mob was outnumbered they held their own. Somewhere between the 60-70^th minute the mob pushed forward and the winner was soon decided afterwards. The mob had suffered a few blows but nothing to what the violets could handle. Running in terror the violets retreated back to New York City and the Murder Mystery Mob took over Cleveland. Other cities threaten to attack but the mob will always hold their own whether against the hood of Chicago(October 17) or the streets of Washington U(October 15 come watch!). No one really knows what the murder mystery mob looks like…some say they are titans stomping out all others while others say they are immortals living amongst us. All that is known is that you can tell who they are by the fact that each one has a braid going across their head. And so lives on…the legend of the murder mystery mob.

**Some details may be exaggerated in that the murder mystery mob had the help of about 23 awesome other players who actually scored/won the war J they just don’t have cool braids.

THE END

We Dance for Anna!!!

2010-10-03T19:10:00.003-04:00

Anna Selser (Left, Anna K's best friend...shaved her head too!) and Anna Kennedy (right) during preseason.

In honor of Anna Kennedy's ('12, Evanston, IL) final round of chemotherapy this past Thursday, the team created a video to celebrate. Anna was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma over the summer and has undergone surgery and chemotherapy treatments. She has played throughout the entire process, except when she's too ill to perform. She's inspiring and absolutely amazing. Enjoy our salute to Anna!!!

And, stay tuned for details on our October 23rd "Kicks for a Cause" game where we will be raising money for UH's Ireland Cancer Center in honor of Anna's victory.

CONGRATS ANNA!!!!!!! We are so proud of you.

Our Family - by Katie Dunn '14

2010-09-24T14:24:00.004-04:00

Freshman Katie Dunn (Silver Spring, MD) showed her creative writing talents before Tuesday's game when she read this poem as a part of our pre-game. Must've worked! The girls were victors 3-1 over Baldwin-Wallace.

Our Family

Like most families, we're pretty strange.

But it's something we can't change.

Sometimes the coaches mock us,

And refuse to post the best video of the bus.

Some of us are in Lord of the Rings,

Awkwardly funny as Chelsea sings.

Some are in a romantic pair,

Kendra and Ashley have us there.

And did you know, we have a zoo?

An owl and some penguins too!

We play and laugh and run,

This group of animals is too fun.

Yes, we're silly, but serious as well.

Postseason appearance? Only time will tell.

Juked John Carroll, outplayed Oberlin,

Grasped Grove City, and killed Kenyon.

Our family is like a crutch.

Our family has love, so much.

Our family is ready to play,

Our family will beat Baldwin Wallace today!

JCU Tournament - by Frannie Hogan '11

2010-09-12T21:25:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, the Case Women’s Soccer team piled into three vans and headed across town to play Oberlin and Grove City in the John Carroll Classic Tournament. While I’m sure Coach Tiff and Buddy’s van rides were fun, undoubtedly the best van was Coach Taylor’s. On Friday, we jammed to some groovy tunes from our front seat radio DJ Amanda Woj. The next morning, we were treated to a mix by Vaci with Top-40 hits along with old winners such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! Our dancing shook the van and got the attention of some other drivers, including an older man who put his hands in the air and gave us a shout out.

Once we arrived at John Carroll on Friday, we warmed up and got going against Oberlin. We knew we could win the game if we put it away early, and Leah started us out only 8 minutes into the match by slotting her first goal of the year…and her career! We became a little disorganized after her goal, but refocused on our possession in the second half. Ashley put us ahead when she beat an Oberlin defender and hit the back of the net early after halftime. We picked up momentum from Ashley’s goal, and soon after, Becca knocked in a goal from a beautiful corner kick from Devo.

A few minutes later, I received the ball in the box and scored for the first time in a long time. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, I had a flashback to a goal I’d scored my sophomore year. That time, I was so excited that I immediately began jumping for joy and hugging my teammates, only to notice afterward the sideline referee was still holding up the offside flag. Remembering that embarrassing situation, I stopped this time to check and make sure the goal counted. When I got the OK, I celebrated! Scoring felt great, but the hugs and congratulations from my teammates made it even better. We ended up blanking Oberlin 4-0, and headed back to campus for a good night’s sleep.

Saturday morning started with a fruit and bagel team breakfast courtesy of Amy Baumann. We packed up and headed back to John Carroll for Day 2 of the Tournament. Grove City was going to be a tough game, and we knew we had to come focused and ready. We got on the board early again, when Becca scored her second goal of the tournament as she slipped the ball past the keeper. Looks like Coach Tiff’s “Toe Poke” drills from a few years ago have paid off! With Becca’s goal, we pushed against Grove City even harder, and I was able to chip the ball in over the keeper about 20 minutes later. How excited was I? More excited than when The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition DVD was released (in other words, a lot).

Grove City never stopped working, and they managed to notch one goal against us in the second half. Case kept the lead to the end, however, making us the John Carroll Classic Co-Champions! As a team, we definitely learned a lot about our strengths this weekend, as well as our weaknesses and how to overcome them. Our first official home game is this Wednesday at 7:30pm versus John Carroll. Hope to see you there!

Labor Day Weekend - by Devyn Lee '13 (State College, PA)

2010-09-06T18:12:00.005-04:00

Devo outdueling her opposing center mid

After two hard-fought games this weekend, I think it’s safe to say that most of us members of the Case women’s soccer team will spend Labor Day attempting to do anything but labor…

The weekend began with a trip to Panera in Strongsville on the way to Kenyon. Everyone loaded up with various bagels and sandwiches, much t o the chagrin of the employees. Upon arriving at Kenyon, everyone was awed by the beautiful new athletic center on campus, but being that we arrived a little later than we would have liked, we did not have time to explore. After an initial mixup that would have had us sharing a locker room with the Oberlin football team, we all changed quickly and trekked down to the field for a somewhat abbreviated warmup.

Heading into the match, I think we were all eager to improve upon a disappointing performance at Wooster, so there was definitely a lot of excitement, and from the opening tap, it was clear that this was going to be a very different game. We were proved right, when about 20 minutes in, a sophomore midfielder netted her first collegiate goal, poking the ball into the net after sliding in between the keeper and a defender. Haha, so I was the one who scored, much to the excitement of my teammates and parents, who made the trip to Gambier from PA. At halftime the score remained 1-0, though we did have several other close opportunities.

The second half was a little tighter than the first. Kenyon came out full of fire, and certainly had a few chances that made us all nervous, but our excellent back line and keeper managed to keep the ball out of our own net. Finally, Kendra scored on a beautiful shot with about 10 minutes left, and the nail was all but pounded into the proverbial coffin for Kenyon. Notably, Woj saw her first collegiate game action, if only for a few seconds at the end of the match. But she did get a touch on the ball!

After showering, we headed to the Leveys’ house in Bexley, some of us on the bus, and some riding with our parents for the chance to catch up. The Leveys’ house offered tons of yummy food, excellent conversation, and a chance to play with their adorable Bernese Mountain Dog, appropriately named “Moose.” It was a great chance to relax and allowed parents, siblings, coaches, and players to mingle and enjoy each other’s company. A select few of us even learned Buddy’s middle name, which out of consideration for him will not be repeated here.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we had a chance to flop onto our beds and check out the wireless internet connection before we gathered in a conference room for some team-building. We played “Two Truths and a Lie,” where we learned, among other things, Maeve is not allergic to iodine, Vaci has never kissed a hamster on the lips, and Coach Taylor hates to swim. After that, we did an exercise in which everyone put their name on a sheet of paper, and then we passed them around the circle, and you wrote down something you love about each person on the team. It was a good bonding experience, and left everyone with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. The Carnegie Mellon team was actually staying at the same hotel, and after some consideration, we decided it would probably be a bit classless to vandalize their bus, so we refrained.

After some much needed rest, we met up on Sunday morning for a scenic stroll on a path along the highway, ate some of the splendid continental breakfast, then headed to Denison.

A stirring pep talk from Coach helped to get us psyched for the match against Denison, and if that didn’t prepare us enough, the first few minutes of the game showed us what a good team they were, and if we didn’t get our act together, they were going to dominate us. It was a tough contest all the way through, with close chances coming from both sides, and some very physical play. We had to forget our tired legs from the previous match and put everything possible into the game.

Our efforts were rewarded somewhat when it was still 0-0 at the end of regulation, but that meant that we still had 20 minutes left to finish a chance and earn the win. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find the net during overtime, but neither was Denison, so it worked out ok. We came away partially satisfied that we held our own against such a good team, but also angry that we weren’t able to pull out a win. That shows just how hungry everyone on our team is to have a great season this year, and I think this weekend showed us glimpses of our true potential.

Devo with her parents at last year's Parent Picnic.

Preseason Day Four - Sammy Sarett '12

2010-08-28T12:44:00.003-04:00

(Sammy (center - striped shirt) with her teammates on a bus trip from the '09 season)

Today was our last day of preseason before classes start tomorrow. We practiced in the afternoon; it was cloudy and drizzling, great soccer weather. We focused on ball skills for the beginning of practice, moving on to a channel drill that rewarded creativity in attacking. It was a tough but overall fun end to our preseason.

After our practice today, we had a lifting session with the track coach. WE didn't actually lift, but he discussed with us the importance of building strength, power, and balance to our soccer skills. He gave us a quick but effective weightlifting workout, and took us through the exercises. It was a little like weightlifting for dummies, but I thought it was very helpful, even for the returning players, to see the correct techniques. And while I may not end the season buff, I can definitely feel a difference when I stick to the workouts.

We all know that we need to stay focused especially as we get into schoolwork. Still, I'm so excited for when we start our regular season games, and I know that the challenge of juggling soccer and school won't take away from the excitement.

Day Three - Soccer and Ice cream

2010-08-21T07:07:00.003-04:00

by Becca Vaughan '12

Going into my third preseason was no different than the first two, waking up early and two-a-days in ninety degree weather. Today started with an upperclassmen practice since the new players were meeting their academic advisors. As usual, no upperclassmen practice can go without music provided by our team DJ, Kristina Vaci. We played games and ran relays and ended the light practice with our new stretching routine created by the track coach. Since there was a large break before our next practice, I did what most of the team did. I took a nap. I was told my freshman year that when I became a junior that my body would not bounce back as quickly as it used to. That was the truth; my body was sore and every tackle felt so much harder.

The second practice of the day shed some light on how the upcoming season was going to be. After completing drills and fitness we were finally able to have our first intersquad scrimmage, which I personally have been looking forward to since arriving on campus. The scrimmage gave us a glimpse of what is to come and allowed us to grow as a team before our first preseason scrimmage against Ashland University. By the end of practice we were all excited for what was to come during this season. The day ended with ice cream and a movie in the Village. We laughed as we watched She’s the Man and ate ice cream. Once the movie was done and the ice cream was gone we all headed back to our dorms for a good night’s rest before the scrimmage.

Now let the games begin!!!!!

Sophomores Deene Levey and Ashley Debeljak after a rough two-a-day.

Sophomore Amanda Wojahn and freshman Katie Dunn.

Day Two - a freshman's perspective :)

2010-08-19T20:44:00.004-04:00

By Rachel Bourque '14

The best way to describe preseason is, nerves. No matter what we are doing I’ve been nervous, whether getting to fribley on time or practice on time to even synchronized swimming (wasn’t quite expecting that one) I’ve been nervous. It isn’t because the girls aren’t nice, because they are extremely nice, or that the coaches aren’t nice, because again they are, its just that every little single thing is new. The locker room is new the field is new the people are new the streets are new and the entire area is new. Let me just tell you that I’ve never had to wait to cross the street so much as I do here. In New Hampshire if I had to wait for two cars I would get frustrated, but that’s a whole other subject. So this morning was a surprise, all I really knew was that each grade had to make up its own synchronized swimming routine, I mean how hard is that?...very hard. I don’t know how those people do it, the very first thing we did (a very beautiful and obviously graceful sideways dive) I got nailed in the face underwater. But we kept right on going into our attempt to try to spell CWRUWS which I’m not sure if any of the other freshmen realized was backwards to the audience but again we kept going into a little dance us freshmen learned last night... which we failed miserably at again and last but not least our throw of Leah up in the air where she yells “FRESHMEN” which resulted in Leah basically doing a side flop yelling something that may have slightly sounded like fresh… But what we had that no other group had, that totally should have had us in first, was music, none the less Jason Mraz. But that was in the morning, I won’t go into too much about the afternoon, I’d rather not think about it too much. J All I’m going to say is that it was really hot, really sweaty, and included a lot of running, oh and I got a very nice nail mark in my arm, so maybe it was a little rough too.

Preseason 2010 - Day One Reflection

2010-08-18T21:46:00.003-04:00

by Amanda Wojahn '12 from Centennial, Colorado (and returning to play after her second ACL surgery)

So its preseason time again and even though we’ve been through Case preseason before and countless others throughout high school, I think everyone is feeling the excitement and maybe a little angst. After last season’s successes and the goals we’ve set for ourselves and the team for the coming season I think everyone is especially ready to get back to playing and back to working hard. We spend all summer dreaming about getting back to soccer and training to get ready; so basically in the summer I think everyone’s only feeling the excitement. The funny thing about preseason is that it always manages to turn some of the excitement into anxiety and nerves. Recently I’ve been thinking about why we change like that. What I’ve gone through with my knee reminds me of how a lot of people treat preseason. There has been literally years of buildup to me getting back on the field and so much time spent in therapy and training, and a week before coming back to school I was feeling extremely nervous about what the doc was going to say, and what my play was going to be like, etc. It’s like I built it up so much in my head that I guess I was afraid that I could never reach the expectations I had been building up for the past year and a half. So here’s my realization…the one that it took me a year and a half to understand…that starting to play again, or preseason, or the beep test, or whatever it may be isn’t our ultimate goal, it only another part of the process. Same as each summer workout, same as each day spent in therapy, same as each game. I think it took me that long to see that because doctors and therapists always talk about returning to playing like you can mark a day on your calendar and on that day you’ll be totally back to normal. It’s not like we’re going to wake up one day and suddenly be ready. So I guess I just wanted to say that preseason is just part of the process, so whether you made the beep test or didn’t, or had a good practice or didn’t that it’s not end of the world, not even close. So I’ve made a little pact with myself to throw those silly expectations we subconsciously build up in our heads, make us feel anxious and nervous out the window, and just try to do my very best every day, every practice, every game, every time I touch the ball; because if being injured has taught me anything it’s that being able to play such a great game with such great teammates is truly a gift. Seriously, this is awesome, we get to go out everyday this week and play the game we all love for the whole day…what could be better?

Amanda (on far right) at last year's "Kicks for a Cause" game

Spring in Spain - Steph Chinchen '11

2010-07-02T12:01:00.003-04:00

I spent this past semester away from Case, studying abroad in Granada, Spain. Studying abroad has thus far been one of the best decisions of my life. For anyone planning on or thinking about studying abroad, be warned - the process is extremely daunting and overwhelming and will probably at some point make you think it's not worth the trouble. However, after spending five months in Spain and learning and growing so much, I hardly remember all the hassle. It is sooo worth it.

I decided on Spain because I've always wanted to be fluent in Spanish. That didn't exactly happen...but I am certainly closer! Although my major is Biology and I plan to go to medial school, I've never stopped taking Spanish courses and I had the flexibility to take a semester off of Bio classes while still earning credits for graduation. In Granada, a city in the south of Spain, I took classes at the Center for Modern Languages, a part of the University of Granada. Although I took classes with all foreign students, all of my professors were Spanish and spoke only Spanish with us. There I lived with an older couple, their dog, and another American student. My "senora" fed us three (delicious!) meals a day, cleaned, did our laundry, and, of course, helped us with our Spanish.

I loved living in Granada. Life in general is so much more relaxed, stress free and sane. I feel as though I took a 5 month break from the hectic, stressful, always thinking about something lifestyle we lead in the US. Granada is a small city with around 200,000 people and it is also quite compact, pretty common for an old European city. All the daily life things were close enough so that I could walk everywhere. A typical day would involve going to class, eating a huuuge lunch, taking a little siesta (because it's impossible to be active after lunch), going back to class, and then meeting friends for a couple drinks and tapas before dinner. Life revolves around food. Granada is especially great because while getting tapas (little bits of food you generally eat with drinks) is a Spanish tradition, Granada is one of the few places that they are always free. Yep, order a drink and you get a free little plate of food. The province of Granada itself is incredible as well. You can literally go skiing and to the beach in the same day. Let's just say life in Spain wasn't very difficult to get used to.

Another reason I chose to go to Spain versus South or Central America is that it's in Europe. Flights are so cheap, it's tempting to plan trip after trip. I was lucky to do some pretty amazing traveling. Some of the highlights included Rome, Berlin, Morocco, and Portugal. Traveling was probably one of the most rewarding experiences in more ways than one. Not only did I see things that I would never dream of seeing, it was challenging. Ryanair flights to obscure locations outside our destination city, bus stations unexpectedly closing, volcanoes erupting, getting mugged, language barriers, broken tents, etc. There was not a single trip that went off without a glitch. But, I think that those experiences are what studying abroad is all about.

Things that aren't easy force you to grow up, mature, learn, and become a more self-reliant and confident person. To all undergraduates, if you are able to study abroad, I would DEFINITELY recommend it. Never again will you have such an easy opportunity to live in a different country. While I certainly missed my family, friends, and home, a semester or even a year is such a small amount of time in the grand scheme of your whole life. And it's well worth every minute!

Coliseum!

Soccer game in Rome- The other side had no fans…

Me in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Lagos, Portugal

Camel ride in Morocco- it’s quite jerky when they stand up.

Better late than never...

2010-05-11T18:10:00.009-04:00

I take full responsibility for the blog being lackluster this spring. We had plenty to write about including our most productive spring season in my time at Case, our first spring game against Division I opponents only, another successful academic semester for the team, our alumni game, a junior recital, and the final send-off of a few of our soon-to-be greatest alumnae. I'm sorry you all missed that.

Luckily, though, we were able to capture some of it on film.

Check out a few videos made by Annie Altenau '11 and Frannie Hogan '11 during our downtime at our spring game at Bowling Green State University on April 10th.

And, some pictures from our rainy Alumni Game held April 18th.

Alumnae: Mary Jean Starr, Katie Skillin, Kelly Goris, Allysen Arbelaez, Liz Altenau,

Jen Soo Hoo, Caitlin Miller, Ana Arruda, Katie Fromwiller, and Kirsten McClain

Current Team and Alumnae

And, a picture of the team (and others) showing up to support Frannie Hogan '11 in her junior recital where she was finally able to show us how very good she is at playing the flute!

Spring Season 2010

2010-04-01T08:34:00.001-04:00

by Kendra Simmons '13 (pre-med from Medina, Ohio)

Where has the time gone!!? It seems like it was just yesterday that I wrote the “pre-season” blog for the team. It’s hard to believe that it is now April, and in just a short month, we will all be taking the dreaded final exams and heading home for the summer. This spring, I feel even busier than I did during the soccer season! Most people either have a lot of challenging classes or are filling their schedules with jobs and other activities. Personally, my science classes (Bio, Chem, Bio lab, and Chem lab) are taking over, but I’m trying to balance my time by volunteering at University Hospital in the Emergency Room and working out as often as possible. Along with work and volunteering, I’m currently trying to secure my first main research position in the Cleveland Clinic for the summer. Case’s pre-med curriculum sure keeps people busy, but I know it will be worth it in the end!

On top of all the focus on school and experiences in the medical field, I now get to play soccer three to four times a week! We recently started our spring season which consists of full-team practices on Tuesdays and Sundays and a “small group” training on another day during the week. The small-group training consists of about four or five people working with Tiff on mostly the technical parts of the game. From passing, to volleys, to shooting, to footwork, to simply getting touches on the ball, Tiff keeps us moving for a good, successful hour. The Tuesday and Sunday practices focus more on drills pertaining to possession but still aim to improve our individual skills. Also, on Fridays, we play pick-up soccer in Veale with whoever can make it (usually a mix between some of the soccer girls and boys). It feels great to be back on the field (gaining fitness through playing definitely beats running on a treadmill during the winter!!). I really look forward to preseason in the fall so, as a team, we can improve and hopefully achieve our many goals.

Overall, I could not be happier with my decision to come to Case. This school year (even though it’s not quite over) has been more than I expected. I have made amazing friends, I have gained a lot of knowledge from my difficult coursework, and I had great times being part of the soccer team. I came to Case to gain a lot of experience in the medical field through volunteering and research and to learn as much as possible in order to prepare me for medical school. Just from this freshman year, I can tell I am going right down that path. Also, I came here because of the comfortable mix between athletics and academics. It is nice to know that you are on a team full of girls who are committed to doing well in school and working hard to achieve goals for their future. I feel like Case is the perfect environment to achieve the goals I have planned, so I am very glad to be a student-athlete here!

Alumni Spotlight - Judy Gelber '03

2010-03-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

Judy (center) on Pacaya Volcano during a recent service trip to Guatamala.

It has been 10 years since I first came to Case Western, crazy how time flies! I graduated from Case in 2003 with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Sports Medicine.

Now, I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and I am on faculty at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, in the program in Physical Therapy. I treat adults who have neurologic conditions that affect their feet or their walking, such as Peripheral Neuropathy, Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. I also have a special interest in treating foot and ankle pain – and I have decided that soccer footwear technology has been focused on the part of the shoe that touches the ball or the turf and secretly am hoping that someday Nike will contact me to work on the part of the shoe that touches the foot!

To me, being a collegiate athlete at a high caliber university is a unique and rewarding opportunity. Definitely life changing. You become comfortable with setting your standards high and working towards your goals, both on and off the field. You learn how to be more efficient in your work, so that you can fit everything in. You learn about being part of a team, about motivating yourself and pushing yourself and each other.

Soccer is still a part of my life; during graduate school I was fortunate to be a part of the coaching team for WashU women’s soccer (when I came they jokingly told me that I saw the light, I jokingly replied that I went to the dark side…) and I still do a little youth soccer coaching. I play on a women’s outdoor team and a co-ed indoor team in my spare time, although I have to admit that they can’t fully replace collegiate soccer. For those of you who are current players, look for me when you come to WashU - I’m the one with the dog who is sitting on your half of the stands!

Judy (left) on a home visit during her service trip to Guatamala.

Offseason Update

2010-02-15T08:49:00.004-05:00

contributed by Ashley Debeljak '13 (pictured above on the left with Kendra Simmons '13 and Deena Levey '13)

Off season for me = no off time. Yes, our days of soccer practices and games are over for now, but staying in shape and making yourself a better player is hard work (playoffs next year baby!). We have lifting 3 days a week, which is difficult but rewarding because I can tell I am getting stronger! Lifting with the team is great because you have their support to keep you motivated in the off season. I usually go to the gym with Kendra and Deena, but I also see a lot of my fellow teammates over at Veale.

IM basketball is also an activity the team does together to stay in touch! Despite the loss to the volleyball team, Team 1 had a very successful run! Don’t worry, we beat the volleyball team in everything else :). Congrats to the team though for making it to the finals! Kick some butt girls :) !

Classes are more time consuming than in the fall. I am taking more credit hours and it is a lot of work!

I’m really excited to get back in the swing of things once practices start again. I can’t wait to spend most of my time with my beautiful, wonderful teammates (miss you girls!). I’m also looking forward to some nicer weather!!

Well, that’s all for now - I need to study for a nutrition test! Hopefully, I can pull off a good grade despite the constant distractions from studying thanks to the Olympic Games! Go U.S.A.!

My Winter Break

2010-01-09T08:51:00.002-05:00

by Frannie Hogan '11 (music major)

Kris Kringle, bells that jingle, eggnog, and holiday cheer. Sounds like Christmas, right? For my family, it’s more like barking dogs, a honey-glazed hog, Larry David, and store-bought birthday cakes. You could say we’re kind of quirky.

This holiday break was spent both at home in Ohio and at my grandmother’s in southern Illinois. With most of our family making the trip to Illinois from out-of-state, we celebrated Christmas on the 26^th to accommodate work and travel schedules. It’s more important that we spend time with one another than get together on a specific day. We’re not big on “traditional” traditions – no Christmas Eve stories by the fireplace or group photos in reindeer sweaters – but some trends have emerged over time.

The days leading up to Christmas were similar to those from years past, with Granny’s 88^th birthday, the annual Christmas Eve Wal-Mart run to pick up last minute gifts for unexpected relatives, and a trip to the movies on Christmas day. While Columbus has over twenty theaters within its city limits, Lawrenceville, Illinois, has one within a thirty-mile radius. Perhaps that’s why going to the movies on Christmas day in a small town is akin to navigating a sold-out, midnight Harry Potter book release. I’ve been in both situations, and I’m not sure which is more stressful. Hoards of people, strung out on potato casserole and turkey gravy and annoyed by their abominable relatives, who swarm the local cinema and force lines out the door, or hoards of nerds, revved up on Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans and pumpkin juice, ready to “crucio” anyone who stands between them and the next series installment. After as sly family of sixteen cut in front of us in the ticket line, my aunt noted we had been taken advantage of, but she didn’t say it softly, and didn’t use euphemisms.

On the 26^th, everyone enjoyed some homemade fare. As my grandmother ages, she has begun to delegate more of the cooking to her grandchildren, and this year it was my cousin’s job to prepare the popular chocolate pudding pie. We needed spoons instead of forks to enjoy the dessert that ended up as a pool of chocolate pudding with bits of crust floating around inside, but it didn’t matter to us. It was made with love and good intentions, as well as lots of butter and sugar.

Next came presents. Highlights from the gift-giving included lotto and scratch-off tickets, a mini Jesus flashlight (a “Jesus-on-the-chain,” if you will), and a group YouTube viewing session that included such gems as “The Turtleman” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn8EQ0azXpQ) and “Worst Burglar Ever” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUGRkeynl6Q).

Returning home to Ohio, I was greeted with shipments of textbooks for the next semester. Nothing says relaxation as “Meteorology Today” does. Still, I’ve been determined to make the most out of my break; thus, I’ve made it known that anything short of a National Emergency is not a sufficient reason to wake me up before noon. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but spring break isn’t too far away. I hope all your holidays were happy!

Rascal House Eating Contest

2009-11-14T17:14:00.002-05:00

As part of the halftime festivities at the final regular season home football game (which Case won, by the way, to cap off 3 consecutive undefeated regular seasons, their 3rd UAA title, AND another postseason bid...unreal!), the women's soccer team battled the volleyball team in the Rascal House Eating Contest. Anna Kennedy '12 documents the event in the following videos. Enjoy!

You’re All Gonna Know the Name: CASE!

2009-11-09T22:54:00.002-05:00

I can’t believe it’s been four years. I can’t believe we’re done, didn’t I show up to run the mile at my first collegiate practice just yesterday? And now I am here four years later, blogging about my last game, one of the best games I have been in-the Rochester game on Saturday.

The day started with me picking my parents up from their hotel downtown. This was the first time they had both been back to Cleveland since they dropped me off my freshman year. It is a long way from Oregon and they don’t get out very often. For the afternoon we did the usual, went shopping. I got lost attempting to take the freeway from downtown to Beachwood Mall (another usual). After getting a dress and some lunch we headed back to campus so they could drop me off for our pre-game dinner. We parted ways and I hitched a ride with Vaci and the troupe down to the field.

As soon as I got to the locker room to drop my stuff off I got extremely excited. It wasn’t nerves (at least not yet), just pure energy spurned by the fact that it was a big game (not to mention my last). Our pre-game senior dinner was perfect. The Juniors gave each of us frames with multiple pictures which mix action soccer shots with everyday pictures of us having fun with our teammates. They are great. Speeches were made about each senior, (also given by the juniors) each containing laughable parts, and emotional. It meant a lot to have Link and Frannie tell me how I have impacted them. I think all us seniors were moved and started realizing that soccer might actually be coming to a close. We looked at each other’s frames and then walked down to watch the men’s game until we needed to get ready.

I got ready the same way I always do, everything on my left leg first in order, then right leg, then I braided my hair. I am glad my “crazy pre-game braids” have left a mark of their own, same goes for my shin guards. The braiding period was a somber/reflective one, I was no longer bouncing off the walls, rather, I was starting to get nervous. Coach gave us our pre-game chat and we went out to watch the end of the men’s game. After two overtimes the men ended in a tie and we were able to warm up. It was a good, focused warm up.

At ten minutes to kickoff we did the presentation of the seniors. My parents escorted me on the field while the announcer shared my stats and favorite soccer memories. I didn’t get emotional like I thought I might, I felt good about the game and was ready to play, emotions would come later.

Finally, the whistle blew and Rochester was booting a ball at me, the game was underway. Let me just say, I have never been happier with a 0-0 outcome in my life. Every player that stepped foot on the field from Case’s team played hard and well. The support from the bench kept me going when I got tired. Rochester had a few opportunities right at the beginning of the half, but we got into our flow and started attacking them. I felt really confident and good throughout the whole game. Laura was in constant communication with me and together with Vaci, Maeve, and Kennedy, we prevented Rochester from scoring. Our midfield helped us out a ton by stepping up and winning countless balls in the middle, and with Garber and Deena embarrassing girls on the outside we controlled the middle third of the field. The forwards played superb, the runs they had been working on in practice were working and we got several good chances on their net. At one point Ana drove end line, chipped a defender, then went around another one, and I thought to myself, “this is it, we are going to score just like we did last weekend”. I felt confident like that the whole game, I knew we were going to come out with a good result.

Things got really competitive in the second half. Rochester was starting to feel the pressure with us up in their defensive third for the majority of the half, combining that with some charged emotions, fouls and yellow cards started getting handed out. I am not entirely without guilt, I blatantly tripped #15 because she pushed me. Even so, we held out.

The announcer didn’t say what my favorite soccer memory was during the senior presentation. It was winning the corner kick that Bridget (in her senior game) scored a perfect header on to tie Rochester my sophomore year. Well, I have a new favorite memory, though, it happens to be almost identical. My new favorite soccer memory is holding off Rochester for 110 minutes to a scoreless final in my last game as a Case women’s soccer player, causing them to lose their first place position. I am so grateful to my teammates for giving me this memory. We got as far as we did because every player was dedicated and worked hard. Thank you my friends. Without the coaches support we couldn’t have done it. I especially couldn’t have gotten through the last four years without the patience, understanding, direction, and firm encouragement that I got from Coach Tiff, Buddy, Emily, and Coach Taylor. The program has come a long way, and will continue to do better and better. Good luck in the future, I will be around to cheer you onto the tournament next year. Keep working hard. Stir it up…you know what I’m talking about.

I “wave” to you all, especially Yule and my fellow seniors. It has been an absolute blast playing with you. You are each phenomenal athletes and people.

-Froms

A Night Out at Nighttown

2009-11-08T19:23:00.003-05:00

(L to R) Katie Green '11, Annie Altenau '11, Amy Bishara '11, Frannie Hogan '11, and Megan

Link '11 before heading the dinner at Nighttown in Coventry.

written by Megan Link '11

The final week in regular season play is always filled with so many emotions. There was so much passion and hard work throughout the last week of practice, everyone wanting to end on a high note for our seniors (and Ana, even though we don’t believe she’s leaving us yet).

On Friday night, the day before our last game, our dedicated faculty advisor Dr. Prahl invited us out to dinner. This was such an unbelievable generous gesture that shows Dr. Prahl’s enthusiasm for the team. We had our very own section of the restaurant with our school logo on special menus, all just for us! As we choose our seats it was interesting. The sophomore class fought to sit with Erin, at the higher up VIP table. The freshmen all sat together. This became worrisome when they started playing with the candles on the table. I sat with Bish, Frannie, Annie, Blue, and Coach Buddy. Our evening started off with salads, then delicious entrees (I chose the prime rib, the BEST), and we all finished up with some ice cream.

My table had a particularly exciting night. We found out that Bish has a love for eating butter and ketchup, either on other food or even just by itself (yuck!). Buddy also went on to tell me he feels sorry for my husband one day, apparently he thinks I can be a little demanding. I don’t see it. But the evening really got rolling when Buddy and Frannie decided to create a master piece. Some olives and tomato remnants that were left on a bread plate and soon Buddy noticed them and got instantly inspired. He arranged the olives to be two eyes and a tomato nose then added a dash of pepper for a mouth. Frannie saw Buddy’s master piece and thought “I can do better.” So, she slide the plate to her side and created a goatee from the pepper, added a napkin hat, with the help of Annie she sliced a tomato in half to add a tongue and her master piece was in the making. Our friend eventually had ears and a nose ring (which was originally in Frannie’s ear). As we all admired our new friend, we decided he needed a name. A few were thrown around and then Buddy said, “how about Stu?” We all knew this was the right name when Frannie looked down at our friend and said “Stu?” He defiantly responded to this name and we knew that was the one for him.

As the evening came to a close it was very hard for us to part with Stu. So we let everyone else leave first, got a little photo shoot with Stu and said goodbye. We then thanked Dr. Prahl again for his generosity. We all went back to our rooms in order to get a good night sleep so we would be ready to take on Rochester and play hard for our seniors the next night.

UAA Double Header Hallo-weekend

2009-11-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

contributed by Frannie Hogan '11 (Columbus, Ohio)

This past weekend, the Case Women’s Soccer team went 1-1 in UAA play. On Friday, we went up against Carnegie Mellon, a team whose style of play mirrors our own. We knew it would be a battle, but good energy (and decorations) in the locker room and positivity in the pre-game warm-up gave us the confidence we needed. Before we headed out to the field, coach stuffed us into her office to watch a video she’d made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wocEN8unzt8). Not only was it inspiring, but it also reminded us we’re a team and we all have something to contribute.

We went out to the field as the men’s game was finishing. Unfortunately, the guys lost to nationally ranked Carnegie 2-0, but as soon as they finished we started warming up. We had business to take care of. The game started out well, and it was clear we were pretty evenly matched (like we are with all the teams in our difficult league). Carnegie took some shots early on, but Anna Kennedy denied them all. We also had some opportunities, but the score was tied at 0 at the half. At half-time, Coach Tiff had the utmost confidence that we would win, and her confidence brought up the team. Instead of worrying about losing, the team was waiting for the goal we knew we’d get.

The second half started out like the first, but with Case taking more shots. We were battling our way through the field when Carnegie drew a foul at the midway line. Then, defender Laura Gabster perfectly executed the shot we’d trained for months – a free kick from 50 yards out that flew with the wings of angels as it slammed over Carnegie’s keeper into the upper right 90 of the net. Obviously, we knew the shot was going in, but the team went crazy anyways. It was Laura’s first goal of the season, and it was awesome. That would be the only goal of the game, and we were able to switch up our positioning afterward to hold on to our win.

After the game, I dragged my roommate Amy Bishara to Qdoba where we polished off a quesadilla and a burrito (respectively), each the size of a small child. As soon as I finished the last bite, I knew I’d made a poor decision. The walk back to the dorm was punctuated by cries of over-stuffedness from Amy, and I was sure I was going to explode from all the cheesy, sour creamy goodness. I managed to squeeze in a few games of Mario Kart on Nintendo 64 before the night was over, though I realized my skills have been slowly deteriorating since middle school.

The next morning, my slumber was disturbed in the early morning hours by a shrill beeping noise. I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter, only to discover the noise was from my suitemate’s alarm clock. Most unfortunately, my suitemate had left for the weekend and her door was locked. Thus, I grumpily endured 2 more hours of the alarm before I drifted back to sleep. At 11am, the team met for breakfast in one of the dorms. Bagels and orange juice were provided by Caroline Garber (many thanks!), and it was nice for the team to just hang out.

After hours of studying, I enjoyed some of the Halloween festivities sponsored by Case. Free food and s’mores, pumpkin carving, student booths and live bands were several of the highlights of the on-campus “Halloween at Home.” I then hiked over to South Side to see the student production of West Side Story with some of the sophomore girls. It was a great show, but I got even more entertainment on my way home. Surprisingly, I saw an inordinate number of fashionable cops, doctors, nurses and German beer wenches wandering campus on all-Hallows eve. I can only speculate that they were needed en masse for some sort of joint collaboration with University Hospital and the German Federation of Scantily Clad People.

On Sunday, we battled against Emory University. They’re very direct, and we’re very possession-oriented. The game started out well, even though Emory had several shots. We got on the board at the 13-minute mark when Ana Arruda chased down a ball headed toward the corner flag, maneuvered herself in typical Brazilian fashion around a defender and found Alex Litofsky open inside the box. Alex had great composure and put the ball away for her second goal of the season. We definitely thought we had the game in the bag, but Emory came back 17 minutes later and tied up the game. Even though we were determined to win, Emory added another goal 5 minutes into the second half. After that, we had trouble keeping our possession game against their powerful, direct play. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the back of the net again. The loss was definitely a hard one to stomach – everyone on the field and the bench kept going until the clock ran out. If anything, the game has given the team motivation for our final UAA match against Rochester this coming weekend. It’s our senior night and, along with pride, we have an amazing senior class to play for. Come out to the turf on Saturday at 5pm for the Men's game, and 7:30 for ours!

Halloween Practice Part 2

2009-10-31T13:45:00.003-04:00

Halloween 2009 Winning Costumes

Team Pic

Class of 2013

Class of 2011

Class of 2010

Class of 2012

Halloween Practice

2009-10-31T13:05:00.003-04:00

Every Halloween practice seems to outdo the year before. This year was no exception. Here's some footage from this year's practice. Enjoy.

An impromptu Hannah Montana concert starring Ashley Debeljak '13 and Katie Woodling '13

This year's Halloween Practice winners are announced...

Runners-ups...

Caseyola (Sophomores Laura Gabster, Anna Selser, Becca Vaughan, Sammy Sarett, Anna Kennedy, Jackie Guttman, Kristina Vaci, and Alex Litofsky)

Cloudy with a chance of Thunderstorms (Amy Baumann '11)

Grand Prize Winner...

Fat Man (Ana Arruda '11...kind of)

Kicks for a Cause Wrap-up

2009-10-29T17:30:00.004-04:00

Yesterday at practice we were joined by Karen Bain, Development Director for the Alzheimer's Association - Cleveland Area Chapter. After contacting her with our final tally from our inaugural "Kicks for a Cause" game, she insisted on personally thanking the team for their efforts and contribution to the fight to end Alzheimer's. She came to practice to pick up the money and to greet the girls. She shared with the team how impressed she and the entire staff at the Alzheimer's Association have been with the team's efforts. Their picture and efforts will be shared on the website and in their upcoming newsletter. It was a great and well-deserved moment for everyone.

Below is an article written by our sports information department detailing this year's event. I cannot put into words how touched I was by the support the team received. I never envisioned such a simple idea to take off like it did. Thank you so much to all of you who supported the cause, either by spreading the word, donating money, or attending our game. We look forward to many more years of giving back and making a difference.

CLEVELAND, OH (October 27, 2009) - The Case Western Reserve women’s soccer team raised $5,201 as part of the first-annual Kicks for a Cause Day. The beneficiary of this donation is this year’s charity of choice –The Cleveland-Area Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“It has been overwhelming how much support the event garnered,” said head coach Tiff Crooks. “We've received so many generous donations and heartfelt notes from family and friends across the country. Our original goal was to raise $3000. To exceed it by so much has been very exciting and rewarding.”

The fundraising activities for Kick for a Cause Day, which was held September 26th against Ohio Northern University, included bake sales throughout the week, donations raised prior to and at the game and a raffle at the game with the help of the volleyball team.

Junior Amy Baumann (Dublin, OH) organized the team bake sale.

“When we heard of the idea we were all very excited and enthusiastic about it,” said Baumann. “The response and effort put into it by the girls was amazing. Pretty much every single person on the team helped in one way or another - baking, working the table or making fliers. It was definitely a successful endeavor and something of which to be proud.”

Sophomore Alex Litofsky (Columbia, MO) was the leading fundraiser on the team.

“I was happy to be a part of Kicks for a Cause,” said Litofsky. “Alzheimer's has some personal relevance for my family and me, so I made an effort to ask all of our relatives and friends for a pledge. It really means a lot to me that so many people responded with such enthusiasm and support.”

The development director from the Alzheimer's Association will attend a practice next week to collect the donation and personally thank the ladies for their hard work.

“This year's cause was my decision, but the team did all the work in raising the money,” said Crooks. “After one mention of the "Kicks for a Cause" event, the girls were enthusiastic and filled with ideas to make the event a success. It's inspiring to see how engaged they became in the process. I'm so proud of this group and their ability to see the big picture and the world outside of college.

Case Witch Project...

2009-10-26T12:52:00.002-04:00

Sophomore Kristina Vaci and friends get creative with the Flip Cam outside Anna Kennedy's house during our trip to St. Louis and Chicago last weekend...

A great story about one of our greatest!

2009-10-23T11:33:00.003-04:00

SOO HOO FIGHTS FOR ONE LAST SEASON ON SOCCER FIELD...

CLEVELAND, OH - The senior season is a special time for any student-athlete as four years of hard work and dedication culminate in a final season on the field. For women’s soccer midfielder Jen Soo Hoo (Berkeley Heights, NJ), her senior season was abruptly put on hold in early June. Soo Hoo tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral meniscus in a co-ed soccer game.
“It was really simple, I was just changing directions and it snapped,” said Soo Hoo about suffering the injury. “I didn’t think anything was wrong at first because I was able to limp off and it didn’t really hurt. After I found out, I was really upset at first but I always assumed I’d try to come back and play.”

For many athletes, a medical red-shirt would be the course of action, and their senior season would just be put on hold a year. For Soo Hoo, who is already in her first year of medical school at Case Western Reserve concurrently with her senior year, the academic requirements would have been too much.

"There was a period where I debated between red-shirting and playing next year or coming back for this season,” explained Soo Hoo. “Med school wise though, I knew my only chance of playing was probably this year.”

There was only one option left for Soo Hoo – fight as hard as she could to make it back to the soccer team by the end of the season.

So Soo Hoo did what she could and rehabbed every chance she got. With the start of the season less than three months away, there was no chance she could return from an injury which typical takes six months of recovery time by then. However, if she could get ahead of schedule, a return for University Athletic Association (UAA) play in October was not out of the question.
“I never really thought about not being able to come back this season, I was always like ‘no, you have to come back this season,’” said Soo Hoo. “I wanted to keep pushing it, like when she told me I could run, tomorrow I wanted to sprint. (Case soccer’s head athletic trainer, Erin Lake) was really good about all of it. She knew when to tell me no I couldn’t do that.”

“She has worked very hard over the last few months,” said Lake. “Jen's desire to return to the field was the driving force behind her rehab. Some people need to pushed, but not Jen. There were times I had to slow her down. She managed to make rehab a priority, even with medical school classes.”

“Jen’s dedication to the program and the team in the rehab process has been outstanding,” said third-year Head Coach Tiffany Crooks. “As a first year med student, she could easily have walked away from the season and her teammates to focus on her studies. Rather she has attended nearly all of our practices, attends all the games, and is finding success in med school.”
Last year’s team captain received plenty of encouragement to make it back from teammates and the coaching staff.

“I received a million calls, everyone just wanted to know what happened and they were really sorry,” said Soo Hoo. “Coach (Crooks) tried to call me all the time but I didn’t want to talk to her at first because I didn’t want to cry while talking to her on the phone.”
While Soo Hoo sat and gave encouragement from the bench, her teammates flourished to open the season. The Spartans got off to a 7-3-2 start and were ranked in the Great Lakes Region for the first time since at least 2004. This included a 2-0 start to the conference season, the team’s best start in UAA play since 1993.

“The team was very open with me being apart of everything,” said the senior. “The first UAA win, I was very happy for the team. Obviously, I would have liked to have been a part of that, but I still felt a part of it, sitting and watching.”

Not everything has been smooth sailing for the Spartans this season as several other players have gone down with knee injuries. Already being on the road to recovery, Soo Hoo was able to talk to the other during their time of need.

“I’ve talked to (the injured girls) and everyone reacts to it differently,” said Soo Hoo “It’s nice for them that they have at least another year to play, but it’s obviously devastating.”
All of Soo Hoo’s persistent indeed paid off. In early October, Soo Hoo was cleared to practice and just a week later, she joined the team on a big road trip to St. Louis and Chicago to make her first appearances of the year.

“It’s good to be back out there and just playing,” explained Soo Hoo. “Fitness is huge right now after only practicing a week before going out there.”

While the Spartans dropped both games on the trip to No.9 Washington University and No. 15 University of Chicago, the team was happy to have Soo Hoo back.

“Jen is one of the most gifted players in the UAA, completely healthy she’s is a game changer,” said Crooks. “Even though she is not 100 percent, she can still provide us with limited minutes and impact the outcome of a game. Just seeing her on the field and playing is inspiring. I'm not sure I've ever been prouder of a player.”

Soo Hoo’s knee will prohibit her from playing at the level she was at a season ago as one of the team’s best players. However, she’s going to try to think about her knee as little as possible the rest of the season.

“It was tough, because I remember how I used to play before the surgery and I feel a lot slower and can’t do the same things I used to,” explained Soo Hoo. “I try not to think about it because it’s all mental and I know my doctor wouldn’t have cleared me if I couldn’t go out on the field. It’s a little scary because of how I tore my ACL, just turning.”

The Spartans have four matches left (@ Oberlin - Oct. 24, Carnegie Mellon - Oct. 30, Emory – Nov. 1, Rochester - Nov. 7) in the regular season. That final date against No. 10 University of Rochester is senior night and is expected to be an emotional night as the team graduates four seniors, forward Kaitlyn Yule (Raleigh, NC/Vernon Hills), midfielder Caroline Garber (Cincinnati, OH/Ursuline Academy), defender Katie Fromwiller (Clackamas, OR/Sam Barlow) and Soo Hoo.

“Every senior year we always see the seniors get very emotional,” said Soo Hoo. “This is your last game ever playing soccer in a competitive environment and obviously soccer has been a huge part of our lives so it’s going to be something that we’re all going to miss.”

While that game will be the end of Soo Hoo’s playing career, she will still be at Case Western Reserve another three years for medical school. She already has experience coaching youth soccer as an assistant with former Case player, Madeline VanGunten, and has spoken with Coach Crooks about staying involved with the team in the years to come.

“I talked to Coach Tiff about it and she’s very open to it,” said Soo Hoo about having a future role with the program. “I hope to help out, come to practices and home games at least. I want to help out as much as possible. Coaching is really different than playing…it takes a lot of patience.”

Second UAA win!!!!

2009-10-11T14:47:00.002-04:00

by Anna Selser '12

This past weekend the men’s and women’s soccer team headed to New York City for this season’s first UAA away game! This was especially exciting to me because:

1) It’s my first UAA game I have ever played in

2) I have never been to New York City

3) Flying somewhere always means one thing: you get to browse through Sky Mall magazine.

I love skymall magazine so much that I was enlisted in creating an advertisement for this issue highlighting some of the best products. Unfortunately for you dedicated blog followers, the footage for this advertisement was lost. However if you get the chance to check out the Sky Mall website, you should definitely consider buying “Your Names in the Sand.”

On Friday it seemed luck was against us. Right before we left we find out that Laura, one of our starting center backs, is very sick! Oh no! Then our flight got delayed! Then there was a lot of traffic getting into the city. After a short time walking through Greenwich Village and eating, we returned to the hotel where we were all ready to settle in for a good night’s sleep. However, a certain two members of the team, who shall remain nameless, were thoroughly convinced by some very thin evidence that they were going to be murdered in their sleep which caused quite the commotion. Luckily everyone made it to bed by curfew and everyone was alive for the most important day of the trip, GAME DAY!

We woke up early to take the boys to the field to warm up and after a delicious breakfast we returned to cheer them on. After 90 minutes the score still remained 1-1, so the game went into overtime giving us more time to get focused and game ready. We had our pregame talk in a nice clearing near the woods where we were lucky enough to hear the beautiful, inspiring poetry of Caroline Garber. The boys ended up remaining tied after two overtimes, but we didn’t let that disappointment bring us down.

Although our warm up was not very sharp, we came out ready to play and immediately realized the Violets were a completely beatable team. Their formation gave our outside midfielders so much space we were able to switch the field really well and create some great opportunities. However after the first half, the game remained tied at 0-0. The second half continued to be pretty similar to the first half until with 7:45 left on the clock Cicy Fusco crossed the ball from the right side of the field. Kaitlyn Yule attempted the header only to have the goalie deflect it, luckily freshman, Deena Levey was there covering back post to put the ball in the net. The ref was odd and at first we didn’t realize it was a goal, but when we did we were obviously ECSTATIC!

Overall the team played very well and most importantly we went out and set the tone for the game and played our game. We are now 2-0 in the conference and confidently ready for our next UAA away games next weekend in Chicago and St. Louis! AND we are able to check off another box in the “wins” and “shutouts” section of our goal list. Good job this weekend ladies!

First UAA win of the season!!

2009-10-08T19:25:00.002-04:00

by Caroline Garber '10

This past weekend both Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams played in the first conference games of the season against Brandeis University. I know for me, conference games are my favorite portion of the season. It had been 2 years since my last conference game; a lot of nerves and excitement had been building over that time in anticipation for the chance to play these UAA games one more time. Needless to say, I was extremely excited for the game on Saturday.

Saturday morning everyone on the team was up pretty early to get some breakfast and be at the field in time to catch some of the Men’s game. It always pumps me up to see them play, so luckily we are scheduled to play second in every UAA match this year! When it was time, I had to peel myself away from their game. I headed into the locker room to see it was brilliantly decorated by the freshman on the team. Streamers, balloons, signs everywhere; you name it, they had it in there. I was even more excited for the game knowing that my team was just as eager for it to start. Coach Taylor and Coach Tiff then came into the locker room to give the pregame talk. We learned a little something about ants in that time. I’d share more about the story, but I think that it was good luck so I can’t give it away now. Right before we left the locker room, Devyn revealed that under our bench was a hidden quote typed out for each one of us. It was a big surprise and the perfect note to end on before warm-up began.

GAMETIME. If you were able to catch any of the game, you know that it was intense for 90 minutes. We knew it would be a tough battle, and we got just what we had expected. In my past four years playing soccer here, we never were able to pull out with the win against Brandeis. After the first half, the game was scoreless. It was in the second half that we really stepped it up. I am so proud of the team’s performance in that second half of the game. We were able to score 15 minutes into the half!!! Now up by 1, we had to hold off the Judges and maintain our lead for 30 minutes. The team played awesome and we kept our lead for the FIRST UAA WIN IN 2 YEARS!!! I was fortunate enough to finish our one goal against Brandeis. I am pretty sure I tackled Yule as soon as I turned around and was soon surrounded by our entire team. Rewards come few and far between sometimes in soccer, but moments like that remind you that it is TOTALLY worth all of the hard work. I wish I could give my team a million goals every game… they deserve it!!! I can’t express accurately enough just how happy I was to walk away from that game with a win. Being a senior, I can assure that there are few things more rewarding in a season than a win against a UAA team. Winning against Brandeis was a great memory I’ll keep from this season, but I must admit it has made me hungry for more wins in our conference. We head off to New York this weekend to play NYU. Hopefully our team walks away equally as proud from that match. Thank you and Stay Tuned!!

Battle Scars

2009-10-02T20:47:00.002-04:00

Katie Fromwiller '10 got drilled by Kaitlyn Yule '10 in training on Thursday. Here's their documentation of the aftermath...

Kicks for a Cause

2009-09-26T19:33:00.003-04:00

by Amy Baumann '11 (Dublin, Ohio)

This past weekend, the Case women’s soccer team battled the Ohio Northern Polar Bears in a very physical and spirited game. This is one of our biggest non-conference games every year so it is no surprise that the game has a heightened level of intensity. The game this year, however, had even more reason to be so passionate: we were playing for a cause. As part of our yearly community service, we decided to raise money in support of the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Each player helped contribute to the cause by either accepting pledges per each shot taken or through flat donations. The team also sponsored a bake sale during classes the previous week and held a 50-50 raffle during the game (with help from the Volleyball team!) While the final tally still has to be calculated, hopefully we were able to accomplish our goal of raising $3000.00. Thanks to the Alzheimer’s association we were able to wear T-shirts supporting the cause during warm-ups.

The game was just as demanding as we expected. ONU fields a very athletic and hardworking team every year so we were prepared for a battle, and a battle is was. Furthermore, the weather was very conducive to a hard-fought game: lots of rain, a little wind, and the first “cool” game of the year. Both teams were fairly evenly matched with a majority of the play occurring in the midfield. After a very back-and-forth first half, half-time arrived and we found ourselves down a goal.

The second half was just as physical and tightly contested as the first. Every single Spartan who stepped on the field contributed all the effort they could, but we were quite in sync and despite putting lots of pressure on ONU, including a few free kicks and corners, we were unable to net the tying goal and ended up falling 1-0.

This loss is particularly difficult to suffer because the game was so winnable and should we have another opportunity to play them, the result could very well be different. However, we came away from this game focused and ready to enter our “second” season – the conference season. With only one more game until our UAA conference games begin, we are focused and ready to take the next step to becoming the best team we can be. With so much potential, this conference season looks very promising. Hopefully the loss to ONU can serve as a springboard into our conference play.

Photos:

Top: Entire team before Kicks for a Cause game

Middle: Assistant Coaches Rene Taylor (L) and Buddy Cooper (R)

Bottom: Injured Players...Katie Green, Jen Soo Hoo, Amy Bishara, Megan Link, Kendra Simmons, Amanda Wojahn, and Anna Selser

Case for Community Day

2009-09-25T23:08:00.002-04:00

by Annie Altenau '11 (nursing major from Cincinnati, OH)

On September 25, 2009 the women’s soccer team participated in the 7^th annual Case for Community Day. The day gives students and faculty the opportunity to connect with and improve our Greater Cleveland community. There were over 50 projects set up including Pennies for Peace, painting, landscaping, and athletic activities.

The athletic portion of the day was run by CASA (Case Association of Student Athletes). Each sport was responsible for running a station for the neighborhood school children to teach them how to play their sport and improve on their existing skills. The kids were split up into several small groups that rotated through the stations. The kids would stay at the station for about 40 minutes before moving on to the next sport.

When the kids arrived at the soccer station, we attempted to take the kids through a short warm up consisting of jogging, skipping, star jumps, and a few stretches. Several of the kids were just too excited to play soccer that it was nearly impossible to get them to line up on the line. They all had so much energy and all they wanted to do was get a soccer ball and shoot on goal. This resulted in fifteen kids shooting at the same time on the same goal.

Once the majority of the kids went through a warm up, we moved on to other games. We had the kids shoot, play sharks and minnows, race each other, juggle, pass, and even do head balls. By far, the favorite “game” of all of the kids was to see how high we could kick the ball in the air. They were all amazed that the ball could go that high, and would attempt to imitate us.

Most of the kids that came to our station seemed to attach themselves to one of us or a group of us. They had us playing whatever they wanted to play by their rules, which kept us laughing. One second grade boy that I was playing with wanted to scrimmage 1 vs. 1. While playing, he decided that he was allowed to get a different ball to play with at any time. Other kids had us racing them, showing them tricks, and playing keep away.

We all had a blast at Case for Community Day, and we look forward to participating again next year.

Freshman Reflection

2009-09-20T21:18:00.007-04:00

by Devyn Lee '13 (State College, PA)

It’s difficult to go through a new experience without comparing it to something from your past. So, in my first month here at Case, I’ve been comparing almost everything to what I’ve known in the past. Having grown up in State College, Pennsylvania, that means that I am constantly thinking about Penn State University.

Both of my parents work at Penn State, and life in our town is frequently dictated by what is going on at the university. For example, if you’re going to be driving on weekends in the fall, it’s important to know if the football game is home or away, for traffic patterns change significantly when a town of about 40,000 is invaded by thousands more crazy football fans. Most of the best restaurants and stores are right next to the Penn State campus, so if you live in State College, it’s easy to be familiar with the campus even as a freshman in high school. At least 60% of graduates from my high school end up going to Penn State, and the town is filled with alumni, so the tradition runs deep.

I had the chance to go to the Ohio State- Toledo football game with my teammate Maeve, an Ohioan (ha ha… that word is so funny to me). I initially refused, because I thought I could never enjoy watching an OSU game if they weren’t playing Penn State and losing, but I decided that since Maeve’s brother is a Toledo student, and she would be rooting for the Rockets, I could do that too. Besides, last year Toledo upset the Buckeyes, and I welcomed any chance of witnessing that kind of upset. While the same thing sadly did not occur this year, I had a great time rooting against the Buckeyes, even though Toledo fans were outnumbered approximately 20 to 1.

So, this might not make sense to anyone who hasn’t grown up in State College, but when you live in such a football-crazy community, you can’t help but be swept into it, and you can’t help but hate any rival team. I’m getting over the urge to yell “BOOOO,” whenever I see an Ohio State fan, but I’m positive I will never join in the “O-H” and “I-O” call and response cheer, because “We are… Penn State!” has been a part of me for so long.

It’s also strange to live in a city where life doesn’t revolve around the college. Case is only one school in Cleveland; it’s not the only school, and events here don’t usually have an impact on the community; for example the football game last night. However, though I can’t help but think of things in how they compare to Penn State, I couldn’t be happier with my choice of schools. At PSU I would be one of 40,000 kids, and wouldn’t have access to elite hospitals blocks away from campus for research or volunteering opportunities. At Case I have the opportunity to explore the entire city of Cleveland, and I’ve already successfully used the RTA (after one initial… adventure) to get downtown for an Indians game. After several weeks of classes, it’s apparent to me that I’m going to get a great education here, and my fellow students are among the best in the country. My soccer teammates are all awesome young women who obviously all have talent in areas on and off the field, and I am glad that I have older players to ask for help. They’re always there to lend advice, whether it’s soccer-related or not. In short, though coming to Case has meant a multitude of changes, it’s going well so far, and I’m looking forward to even more new experiences.

Photo: Caroline Garber '10, Devyn Lee '13, Anna Kennedy '12, and Amy Bishara '11

John Carroll Invitational Weekend

2009-09-13T20:20:00.005-04:00

by Stephanie Chinchen '11 (in red shirt in video)

It was quite the weekend for the women’s soccer team! We started out on Friday at the John Carroll University Classic, playing Olivet College. Thanks to Yule’s quick thinking, we scored early in the first half after the goalie decided to pick the ball up outside the 18. However, we seemed content with the 1-0 lead and lost intensity in the second half. Yule’s goal was the lone goal but we probably should’ve had five. Despite the fact that we got the W, we walked away disappointed that we didn’t play our level of soccer. To pick up our morale, we then headed to Vaci’s house where her mom had a lovely lasagna dinner waiting for us (thank you!). The highlight of the night was definitely the cookie dough ice cream cake from Coldstone. I luckily got a piece with a huge chunk of cookie dough.

The pool looming in the background led to some after dinner shenanigans… Anna Kennedy made the fatal mistake of jumping onto the raft, fully clothed. So of course, we had to tip her off it. She tried to escape but Soo Hoo tactically used the pool cleaning brush to push her to me. Anna put up a strong fight but ended up in the water after Blue came out of nowhere and jumped on the raft as well. Unlike last year at the Baumann’s, where almost everybody got pushed into the water, only Katie Woodling was thrown in. Jackie was the only one that didn’t take part in the goalie bonding sesh. Before they could catch a cold, we headed back to Case to recharge for Saturday’s game against John Carroll.

We could immediately tell that Saturday was going to be a better day. Before leaving Case, we watched part of the men’s game, which (along with their very loud, crazy fans) pumped us up to play. That, in combination with riding in sweet 15 passenger vans, stories of Tiff’s family holidays, and an extra long and thorough warm-up seemed to be the perfect recipe for a team ready to play. We started the first half like a completely different team, combining beautifully and controlling the pace of the game. But then, John Carroll scored, challenging us to not be the team that gets down but to pick it up and be better. However, we started to play tired and were unable to find the back of the net, leaving the score 1-0 at the half. Confidence from the coaches and bench carried us into the second half where a beautiful goal by Ana, assisted by Deena, started a scoring streak. The next goal came from a corner by Amy Baumann. Bish and Alex combined for a very exciting goal. Finally, Yule headed in the third goal from another assist by Deena. All three were great finishes and everyone was ecstatic about the win. This win was exactly what we needed; hopefully we will use this momentum and build from it as we go into the next few games before UAAs start. I’m very excited for the rest of the season!

Some Parent Picnic Pics

2009-09-11T22:22:00.008-04:00

This year's Parent Picnic prior to our Case Classic opening game was the most well attended we've had. Over 60 parents were able to attend. Below are just a few pictures that the girls allowed me to take! Special thanks to Pat Altenau and Sue Baumann for all their help!

Jackie Guttman '12 (Eden Prairie, MN)

Alex Litofsky '12 (Columbia, MO)

Maeve Goede '13 (Westlake, OH)

The Levey family minus Deena '13 (Bexley, OH)

Cicy Fusco '11 (Croton-on-the-Lake, NY)

Annie Altenau '11 and alumnae Liz Altenau '09 (Cincinnati, OH)

Amy Baumann '10 (Dublin, OH)

Jen Soo Hoo '10 (Berkeley Heights, NJ), Kristina Vaci '12 (Mentor, OH), and

Caroline Garber '10 (Cincinnati, OH)

Devyn Lee '13 (State College, PA)

Opening Weekend

2009-09-09T12:13:00.000-04:00

by Kaitlyn Yule '10 (nursing major from Raleigh, NC)

The long Labor Day weekend is always a welcome little break after the first couple weeks of classes. And this years Labor Day weekend was no exception. This year it was not only a long weekend but it was also the annual Case Classic and team family picnic. This year’s picnic was probably the best turn out yet. Family members from all across the country joined at Case to support our women’s soccer team. My parents were among the many out-of-towners who made the trip to Cleveland in support of our women’s soccer team. This picnic is something I look forward to every year, not just because of the wide variety of amazing homemade food, but also because of the atmosphere that’s created. It’s such a great feeling to know you’re surrounded by people who are all their in support of you and the team you put so much time and effort into. Playing at a collegiate level it’s hard to get such a supportive fan base at every game so weekends like this one are a big deal to us.

Our first game on Saturday was a night game under the lights with tons of fans against Buffalo State. Having never played this team before we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s not far from the truth to say that with all the events of the day prior to our game we may not have been as ready as we should have been to play them. Starting out the first half flat, we ended up tying the game 1-1 at the end of regulation and having to go into overtime to try determine a winner. But unfortunately, after two ten minute sudden death periods there was still no winner so the game ended in a 1-1 tie. It was a hard game to walk away from, we knew we should have beat that team and to have it end in a tie didn’t sit well with anyone.

Exhausted from Saturday’s game and the extra twenty minutes we played, we were all a little tired on Sunday. But despite our fatigue we knew we had to pull out a win, it was not an option. At the end of the first half the game was scoreless and I was starting to get nervous, we needed to put shots in the back of the net and soon. So we went out the second half and started scoring. I got my first goal of the season and was beyond excited. As a forward I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the finisher this team needs and when I don’t score goals I feel like I’ve let my teammates down. Not even ten minutes after I scored Ana, our go to Brazilian, put another one in the back of the net. Her goal was from twenty yards out, and of course in typical Ana style was some sort of over the head volley which dropped right under the cross bar. Then finally, the best was saved for last. Steph Chinchen put in the third and final goal off an assist from Sammy Sarett; this was the goal that made the bench go wild.

Needless to say, this may not have been the most glorious win but it was just what our team needed. We now have one win under our belt and want to use this as momentum to carry us through this upcoming weekend at John Carroll. It’s still early in the season and we still have a lot of work to do but I am confident that if this team stays dedicated and continues to work hard and push one another we will be able to achieve far greater success than in any years past.

First Week of Classes

2009-08-30T20:09:00.000-04:00

by Deena Levey '13 (nursing major from Bexley, Ohio)

Up until this week my life at Case consisted of eating, sleeping, and playing soccer. I was perfectly happy with this schedule and getting in the groove of things, but it had to come to an end. Unfortunately, my months of freedom from homework and classes were over. All week, before and after practice, the topics of discussion were schedules and professors and how many hours of work we had to do that night. Apparently, the weather is just as upset about this turn of events as I am (it has been raining all week).

Thursday the team was very excited for a break from studying. We scrimmaged Ohio Wesleyan and played very well. There were three 30-minute games. They scored in the first game off a free kick, and I have to say it was a very nice shot. We then tied it up in the second thanks to a perfect pass by Devo and a great finish by Cicy. The third 30 minutes we had a couple really good chances and played very well however, the scrimmage ended in a 1-1 tie. Many of our lovely parents came to watch the scrimmage (Thank you!) and I'm pretty sure my mom has already made a couple of new best friends.

The weather (still upset about school starting) did not allow us to practice on Friday, so Saturday we had a captain's practice. We all had a good time playing World Cup (Go China!) and Knockout, in addition to a couple other games and drills.

Our first game is coming up this Tuesday against Ashland! Can't Wait!

All-Campus Boogie

2009-08-29T10:06:00.001-04:00

Much to the chagrin of the team, they were volunteered to participate in the First Annual All-Campus Boogie during the Provost's Hour on Friday. They were great sports and above average dancers. No embarrassing moments caught on tape as planned...

Preseason - Day Six

2009-08-25T08:22:00.000-04:00

by Jen Soo Hoo (First-year med student, '10)

After a good five days of two-a-day practices and team bonding activities, the last day of pre-season culminated in a scrimmage against Denison University. Denison has typically been in the top 25 teams Division III teams every year so we knew it was going to be a good game. Everyone was extremely excited to put everything together and see where we were at. I was especially excited to see how the team would look in the 11 v. 11. I came in hurt to pre-season so I was able to watch and observe the entire pre-season practices. From what I had observed, we seem to be miles above where we started out last season, which is extremely exciting. Everyone seems motivated and eager to compete and play their hardest. We also have a really nice group of freshmen come in which added a lot more depth to our team.

Despite the end of two-a-day practices, we all still had to get up fairly early to make the bus, which left promptly at 9:00 AM. I’m happy to report that everyone made it on to the bus on time, including Garber (sorry, I don’t think you will ever live that one practice down). The bus ride over was a fun time. We stopped at Panera, everyone’s favorite place, to get breakfast/lunch. I swear every time we walk into a place to eat the workers there look like they’re about to faint as thirty plus people come swarming at them. We all got our food without a problem, nonetheless. The whole rest of the time was full of laughs as a bunch of us played M.A.S.H in the back of the bus. This game basically spelled out what your future was going to be ranging from who you were going to marry to how many kids you were going to have to who you your only friend was going to be. Some people’s futures unfortunately didn’t look so bright. We learned that Steph was going to marry her cousin. We also learned that Yule was going to have ten kids with one of the freshmen boy soccer players, while living in a box, with Ana as her only friend (really sorry about that one Yule). Coach Tiff, we learned was going to have twenty kids with Otto with Ronald and Donald as her only friends. It was extremely funny learning about everyone’s lives.

We arrived on Denison’s campus with plenty of time to spare. Everyone got ready and headed over to the field. After some initial controversy, we finally figured out where the field was over the hill. We ended up playing four quarters of thirty minutes. The first quarter went extremely well. We played a 4-4-2, which was a different formation from last year, but we adapted really well. We possessed the ball extremely well and switched the field. It was apparently obvious that the players on Denison were in EXTREMELY good shape. I literally thought they could run up and down the field all day long. Despite this, we held our own really well and dominated the play at some points. However, the long week of two-a-days on burning turf started to take its toll on the team as was expected. The latter parts of the scrimmage were not as fast-paced or concise as the first quarter, but it was still evident we were a good team and could move the ball around well. I was extremely excited watching us play. I couldn’t help thinking about the start of our season and how well we can do during our season and UAA’s. This scrimmage showed us our potential as a team as well as things we need to work on in order to continually improve. It was a solid end to our pre-season training, and I’m extremely pumped to see how the rest of our season turns out.

The ride back was much more uneventful. We stopped at McDonald’s for food and arrived back to Case around 8:30 pm exhausted but happy. Pre-season is officially over. Great job girls!!!!

The Men, The Myth, The Legend

2009-08-24T15:01:00.000-04:00

Case Athletics has been lucky enough to have the support of twins Ronald and Donald for a long time. They are regulars at football practices and have worked the sidelines during football games for many, many years. They are even very proud owners of UAA championship rings, courtesy of the football parents. In the past three years, the women's soccer program has been able to sway them to our practices and games when the football team is on the road or when football practice is getting a little boring. I speak for the girls and the entire coaching staff when I say how much we enjoy having the two around for practices and games.

During preseason they provided one of the highlights of the week when they danced to the King of Pop's "Beat It" prior to one of our training sessions. Big Thanks to Coach Debeljak for being the deejay!! Enjoy!!

Preseason - Day Five

2009-08-23T21:31:00.000-04:00

by Kendra Simmons '13 (Medina, Ohio)

Preseason is over! After a full day with our soccer teammates for the sixth day in a row, we finally end the two-a-days, quick naps between sessions, and early breakfast dates. Now we move on to scrimmages, practices after class, and preparation for games! Today, we started the day with 8:00 breakfast (just like every day this week), then met in the locker room by 10:00 to start the team building activity, an exciting scavenger hunt. Since I am only a freshman, I was not lucky enough to experience last year’s scavenger hunt, but supposedly this year we completed it a little differently. Instead of having the activity center around fitness, we were allowed to have cars to make transportation easier. Because of the access to cars, the destinations on our extensive list of locations to find weremuch more vast. So basically, the entire Case women’s soccer team was frantically driving and running around all of Cleveland taking pictures of specific things (a vendor at the West Side Market, a “Greenie” driver, the oldest traffic light, Playhouse, Willard Park, The Science Center, Lebron’s huge poster, and various signs, buildings, and statues all the way from downtown Cleveland to Case’s campus). Since different pictures were worth different amounts of points, each group of five players figured out their own strategy and quickly drove away to find their first object (under the legal speed limit of course). My group, consisting of Sammy, Ana, Froms, and Selser, dodged buses, cars, and pedestrians to rapidly navigate through Cleveland. Unfortunately, with only 30 minutes left, Selser lost her wallet somewhere, so Ana, Sammy, and I were left to finish as much of the scavenger hunt as possible on foot. The three of us sprinted all around campus trying to gain as many last minute points as possible then hurried to make it back to the locker room by 12:00. All the other girls were completely dry and calm while Ana, Sammy, and I were dripping sweat and breathing heavily. I guess you could say we got just a little more fitness than the rest of the team. After Coach Taylor, Coach Tiff, and Coach Emily tallied up the scores and looked through the pictures, they decided on a winner. With 248 points, Yule’s team came out with the victory. After relaxing for some time, we headed to Leutner for lunch.

Three o’clock came around way too fast as we all found ourselves right back in the locker room ready for the second part of the day. We piled in the baseball stadium and listened to the AD give us a talk about drugs and things like that to look out for. After filling out some forms, we went to the field to start practice. We started with our usual warm up, then we did some “pre-practice” fitness. Everyone pushed themselves through several sets of sprints, then geared up to play 11 v 11. Since I am currently injured, I am able to watch everything from the side lines. Of course I would much rather be on the field, but since I’m not able to right now, it is great to see everyone improving in even a week. The other day, the forwards worked on their runs toward the ball while the midfield worked on distributing and making runs off of them. Even though we struggled at first when practicing that, everyone has already executed those runs and passes while scrimmaging. With this work rate and improvement, it looks like we could have a very successful season. Tomorrow we head to Denison for a scrimmage, and hopefully we can continue to think about everything we have learned so far and apply those things when playing against outside opponents.

(L to R): Devyn Lee '13, Maeve Goede '13, and Frannie Hogan '11

By Popular Demand...

2009-08-22T21:03:00.001-04:00

The non-award winning, yet still highly entertaining synchronized swimming routines...

Class of 2012

Class of 2011

Class of 2010

Preseason - Day Four

2009-08-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

contributed by Frannie Hogan '11

TGIF! Day 4 of preseason is over, and the team is getting more in sync every day. While the freshmen attended a mandatory "Meet Your Advisor" session, the rest of the team enjoyed a short and sweet morning practice. Jammin' tunes were provided by Kristina Vaci, (the most popular of which was probably the infamous "Discovery Channel") much to the chagrin of sleepy Village Apartment residents who preferred their sleep without a soundtrack. Yet I can't manage to find sympathy for those who stayed in their air-conditioned rooms while we got our sweat on in the heat.
First came small (5 vs 2) and large (12 vs 7) possession games, then skill ladders with Coach Taylor. After dividing the team between the sophomores and the upperclassmen, girls partnered up and tried to complete as many back-and-forth skill sets as possible to earn points. Trapping, heading and juggling skills were the main focus. While the sophomores made a valiant effort, the upperclassmen were victorious in all the challenges. But any sadness over the loss quickly dissolved when Coach Tiff informed us she would provide dinner from Chipotle. We all know meals that contain over 1,000 calories of goodness are the best.

The afternoon practice began with a heated game of handball. Although Coach offered up extra points for unique or humorous goal celebrations, cool and exciting ones were noticeably absent. She took mercy on our weary legs by working on near-post, far-post and slot runs to the goal with crosses from the outside. Getting the timing down took some work, but the team worked well putting the drill into practice when we transitioned into 5 v 5 games. Still working on possession and transition, the small-sided games helped create an environment where taking shots and scoring goals was the focus.

Our final evening session was a "Team Effectiveness Workshop" led by Tiff's former college roommate and teammate. With Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" as a guideline, the team learned more about potential roadblocks to success - Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability and Inattention to Results. A "Vision Web" exercise had the team split in two, with some players coaching others to complete a task that only the coachers could see. Communication was vital, and some of the problems the team encountered gave insight into how it can improve. While the issues and their solutions aren't of rocket science material, it was helpful for us to learn about being open with each other to create a foundation of trust, write down solid, realistic goals, remember to put the good of the team before ourselves individually and to keep in mind that, ultimately, we need to hold each other accountable if the team wants to improve and grow. The 2 hour session was insightful, as we learned that future dentist/orthodontist Ana Arruda grew up with part of her front tooth missing; that we have several former high school Quizbowl members; that Cecilia loves Giraffes; and that Coach Tiff used to be a unibrow kid.

Preseason - Day Three

2009-08-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

contributed by Caroline Garber '10 (Biology)

Here we go again! It’s day three of preseason and the physical and mental demands of the two-a-day routine are in high gear. Practice started at 10:00 am this morning with direction from creative soccer warm-up enthusiast, Coach Taylor. The practice focused on the 3 aspects of the game our team will be striving to master throughout this season: defense, possession, and transition. Specifically, this mornings practice drove home the importance of opening up your hips when receiving a ball to better see the field and your options, as well as movement that provides the teammate with possession two passing options… always. We ended this practice with one of my all time favorite things, RELAY RACES!! I am proud to say that my team (Baumann, Deena, Devyn, Sammy, and myself) crushed the competition with eleven points! We’re still waiting for our reward; bragging rights will do for now.

We had a big break between the end of practice 1 and the start of practice 2. Coach Tiff held brief meetings with each individual athlete during this time. Everybody else enjoyed the napping opportunity. As Coach Tiff kindly spelled out for me in a voicemail, practice was going to be moved up to six instead of seven that evening – Thursday the 20th of August, not Friday the 21st of August (She must think I’m scatterbrained… psshhh me?!). At 6:00, the team was ready to go but the weather was not allowing. We waited about 30 minutes in the locker room watching Katie Froms and Anna Selser attempt to teach us moves for the boogie dance our team will be performing for the Case campus later this month. Ana strung toilet paper in Soo Hoo’s locker. Sorry if you are finding out this way Soo Hoo. FINALLY we were free to head out to the field.

The evening practice focused on our forwards! Checking runs, accurate passes, playing to feet, angles, maintaining possession… I could go on. After a rough start to practice, the level of play started to pick up. By the time we moved on to play 11 v 11 full field, the kinks were out and I think both the Coaches and the team were very encouraged by how well we were playing together so soon into preseason. I have been able to be a part of this program as it has changed and grown over the past 4 years. Truthfully, I am so proud of the team we have right now. The work ethic is high, the talent is present, and the will to win is stronger than ever. I am so ready to see this season start to unfold. Stay Tuned!!!!

Preseason - Day Two

2009-08-19T17:33:00.000-04:00

contributed by Cicy Fusco '11

We started with a morning practice at 10:00 on NRV and much to everyone's dismay the cones were missing. Despite excellent detective work by Caroline no one could figure out where the cones could be. As it turned out, today we were playing 11 a side so the cones were not in high demand. The scrimmage looked pretty good, and everyone was playing with intensity and purpose trying to live up to the 'three pillars of our teams identity' (as Alex phrased it). While there were no goals, we showed a promising start for the season to come and the freshman blended into the team well. However, after the game was done it was time for some fitness. Today was the day for the much dreaded 6 corners; this is when we run around the field six times and increase the distance we sprint each time until we sprint the final lap. Sounds like torture right? As it turned out everyone finished and did well and now we have that behind us.

In the afternoon we had our swim practice or our annual synchronized swimming competition. In this competition each class goes against each other to try and have the best synchronized swimming routine. This year Coach brought in some guest judges to make the results unbiased. Everyone dedicated a lot of time to work on their routines but there could only be one winner. The class of 2011 was trying for their third win in a row, but this year the freshman won with an inspiring performance. The juniors came in second, followed by the seniors and then the sophomores.

After the pool "work out" the team got together to help with Move-In. We, along with other teams and groups from Case help the incoming freshmen lug their stuff to their dorm rooms. We helped many people move in, but Kennedy takes the prize for carrying a T.V. up the stairs to someone's room. At dinner we learned that Caroline, through her excellent deductive skills, had learned that our cones were in the boys locker room. They were promptly retrieved.

The Class of 2013's winning synchronized swimming routine!!

Preseason - Day One

2009-08-19T07:22:00.001-04:00

by Alex Litofsky '12...centermidfielder from Columbia, Missouri

When she stepped onto the field this morning, Coach Taylor declared with her cheery inflection that she could cut the tension on the turf with a knife. Jumping in place, nervously murmuring, doing a few last-minute sprints on the sideline, or silently focusing, each of the players on the Women’s Soccer team prepared for the much-anticipated Beep Test in her own way. This grueling fitness test serves as the annual opener for Fall Preseason.

Upon completion of the test, the nervous energy of the group began to dissipate. 1 v 1 contests immediately followed, much to the chagrin of my tired legs. However, I fully recovered in time for some fast-paced 2 v 2 and 3 v 3 that involved shooting on goal. To my delight—especially so early into preseason—I discovered that the eagerly-awaited freshman class was indeed a promising bunch. Also, over the summer, returning players had found even more energy and focus to bring to practice, charging the air with enthusiasm and determination.

After lunch and a few hours of rest, the afternoon session gave every aspiring Spartan a second opportunity to show off her skills. On the grass of Van Horn field, Coach Taylor led us through a new warm-up, followed by Coach Tiff’s drill, Windows, which hones our touches. The remainder of practice was dedicated to the pursuit of possession, one of the three pillars of our team identity, as proclaimed by Coach Tiff: 1) defense, 2) possession, and 3) transition. As practice drew to a close, the Relay for Life dragon paid a visit to the field in a futile search for more peasants to eat. He only managed to get a hold of Kristina, who poked him in the eye with a trident and effectively scared him away…if only for today.

The only disappointment of the day was the absence of our beloved goalkeeper coach, Buddy. He will be noticeably missing from practice for the next few weeks because of a serious injury. We send him all the positive thoughts we can, and look forward to his recovery so he can help us through training again.

Finally comfortable and clean this evening, enjoying a few hours of relaxation in the suite that I share with five fellow sophomores, I can breathe a sigh of relief; we have now all survived the first day of preseason. Though we have plenty work to do this week—and in the coming months—there is also much to be excited about. This first day may have begun with anxiety, but it ended with eager anticipation of what the season would bring.

I’m already looking forward to a soccer-filled second day….

Glad To Be Back!

2009-06-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

contributed by Amy Bishara '11 (Medical Anthropology) from Toledo, Ohio

I just finished sophomore year, and I can honestly say I don’t know where the time went. These past two years, I put myself through a lot of transitions, which I find interesting and amusing to look back upon. I started my undergrad life as a freshman here at Case, where I played soccer, took premed classes, and made a lot of really great friends. I loved everything about the school, but by the end of the year, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to be premed anymore. Since the premed program was one of the major reasons I decided to come to Case, I started to wonder if case was still really the best fit for me. With a lot of pressure from my parents, I decided to transfer after freshman year to Miami University.

To make a long story short, I ended up missing Case so much that I only stayed at Miami for fall semester and immediately filled out my paperwork to come back in the spring. Yes…that does mean that I transferred out of case to Miami, and then transferred back into Case only a semester afterwards. My favorite and most frequently asked question became, “So…where exactly do you go to school now?” Because I was so distraught in leaving my friends, half of them didn’t even know I was transferring, and the other half didn’t know I was coming back. I definitely confused a lot of people.

Although I regret not being able to play soccer at Case this past fall season, I surprisingly do not regret my decision to leave. Because in leaving, I learned to truly appreciate case in ALL aspects. I mean even the cafeterias that I used to complain about I learned to regard with new eyes. I played club soccer at Miami, but it was nothing compared to the competition I had before. I was one of those annoying kids at school that always compared everything to her past, saying things like, “At Case…this would’ve never happened…” and “Oh my gosh I can’t wait for you to meet my friends from Case”, or “ Well back at Case we used to...blah blah blah.” If I had met me I would have been annoyed…but I couldn’t help it! I missed soccer practices where every player made sure to give 110 percent. I missed the integrity of Case students. I missed the close knit community in which everyone was so friendly and approachable. I missed the diversity and even came to miss my classes. Nothing against Miami, because I really did like the school, but by being away from Case for a semester I simply realized that it was a better fit for me than Miami, or any other college for that matter, ever could be. In my semester away I took an entire non-science schedule, to allow myself to be introduced to new subjects. In doing so, I ended up discovering even more reasons why I belonged at Case. I found that I love anthropology and that I really missed my premed classes. Coincidentally, Case is the only place I have ever heard of having a medical anthropology major, which was exactly what I was most interested in. Not only could I now continue following the strong premed curriculum at Case, but I could major in something I really loved and wouldn’t be able to major in anywhere else.

And the greatest part was although I thought that coming back to Case would be really difficult after leaving, it wasn’t in the slightest bit. Everyone welcomed me back and treated me like I had never left in the first place. Even the Case administration made things super easy for me, making sure all my credits transferred properly. Best of all, I got to play in the spring season with the team J

Just thinking about season makes me smile! I cannot wait. I know that everyone is training hard this summer and that this coming fall season will definitely be one to remember.

Unfortunately, soccer is not the only thing I am preparing for, though, this summer. I am also studying for the MCAT which I plan on taking in August. It’s definitely a lot more time consuming than I thought along with my small research program, but it’s keeping me busy and giving me a routine which I like, especially, because I still have my nights available to see friends/family and enjoy summer.

Now summer is flying by, but surprisingly I don’t mind that much. I’m excited to see everyone again, but most excited to play. I haven’t played in a Case league game since freshman year, and am definitely ready to start that up again!

Photos:

Top: Sammy Sarrett '12 and Amy at the Girl Talk concert at Case.

Bottom: Amy, Caitlin Miller '09, Ana Arruda '11, and Caroline Garber '10 at the First Annual Student-Athlete Formal

Summer at Case!

2009-06-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

contributed by Amy Baumann '11, Biology/Spanish major (pre-med), Chemistry minor

School ended about a month ago, and after a very few short weeks at home I am already back at Case. My summer will be spent doing research; I applied to and was accepted to an undergraduate research program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I just began last week and so far it has been intense, interesting, and a little scary.

Thankfully, I won’t be by myself this summer. There are tons of other girls from the team who are also on campus for the summer. Jen is doing research as well, a continuation of research she did last summer from the same program I’m doing this summer. Froms is also working. Frannie, Cicy, and Steph are all taking classes and working. We’ve already planned our first pick-up game of the summer! There are also many of my non-soccer friends who are here as well. All in all, it looks to be a fun summer.

I decided to research this summer because I am a pre-med student and research is one summer job that will definitely stand out on my applications. I’ve also never done research before, and thought it would be a good idea to get some experience in it since it is so intertwined with medicine. Life as a pre-med student at Case hasn’t been too bad so far; sure the classes can be challenging, but pretty much everyone here has difficult classes. Although I haven’t started studying for the MCAT yet – so that will probably change.

Balancing soccer and school comes down to one thing: time management. If you manage your time wisely, you can do everything you want, and still get sleep! I am a Biology and Spanish double major with a minor in Chemistry. On top of classes, I play soccer, am a member of Alpha Phi Omega (Case’s coed community service fraternity), and have volunteered at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Next spring I want to volunteer at the Cleveland Free Clinic. I would love to study abroad but unfortunately did not plan my classes out wisely, so I do not think that will be happening.

Also this summer I will be working out! It is so important to come into the season in shape so that we can spend our time focusing on things other than fitness. Thankfully there are so many other people here to work out with. I know that the team has big expectations for next season. Personally, I think it will be the best season since I’ve been here. It is really cool to be around the other girls and feel the buzz of excitement for next season.

I am sure this summer will go by quickly – too quickly – but it will definitely be fun. It will also be worth it. I am excited for next year. However, talking about our expectations only counts for half; the rest involves how each person prepares during the summer. I hope everyone is as excited as I am!

Pictures:

Top: Frannie Hogan '11, Amy, and Allysen Arbelaez '10 take a break during some Preseason '08 rock climbing off campus at the Cleveland Rock Gym.

Bottom: Amy and some of her teammates participate in an obstacle course during Preseason '08 outside the Veale Athletic Center on campus.

Year-End Freshman Reflections

2009-05-20T13:20:00.000-04:00

contributed by Alex Litofsky '12, civil engineering major from Columbia, MO

Whoosh! The year whirled to a stop as frantically as it had begun back in August. Classes wound down with that one-last-test that each professor managed to squeeze in, and then finals preparation loomed nearer.

While we were wrapping up all our class work, we also found a way to fit in some fun. The weather granted us a beautiful day to enjoy Springfest, a campus event in which every organization can host a booth and provide games and prizes— snow cones, water guns, mini golf, and fencing all added to the mix. I helped run the booth for the Student Sustainability Council; participants answered sustainability trivia questions and threw aluminum cans into recycling bins to win buttons, Frisbees, and shot glasses, which were the hottest items there, in my humble opinion.

Then it was time to study for finals, at least for as long as our rapidly diminishing attention spans could tolerate. We had a few opportunities to get away from the books and release some pent-up energy during the weekend. We got down on the dance floor at the Spartan Spirit formal (except for those of us who instead agonized over the Bulls’ game seven). Then it was back to studying for those few remaining finals.

All exams completed, we celebrated with a journey to the beach for a quick dip in Lake Erie—where quick means dive in, lose feeling in your legs, and run back out onto the sand, all in the space of thirty seconds. We also found some other ways to enjoy spring in Cleveland, now that the stresses of courses had at last disappeared: going for a bike ride, strolling through the Botanical Gardens, dancing at the Girl Talk concert.

Then, the dawning realization that the stuff strewn around our dorm rooms somehow needed to find its way into vehicles or storage led to the exhilarating process of packing. As I stripped my sweaters off of hangers and folded my jeans into suitcases, I marveled at how quickly the year had passed.

Though I could see vividly that day in August when my roommate and I cheerfully opened our boxes, hung up our clothes, and rearranged our furniture, that first day at school seemed almost a lifetime ago. The first week of two-a-day practices and feeling lost on campus seems so distant now that we have lived here for essentially the last nine months. My uncertainties and fears of the first couple months of school have faded as I have settled into routines, become familiar with the place, and found that I can trust the friends that I have made here.

Though there were nights when it seemed the semester would never end—as I sat staring at the first two sentences of an eight-page paper, perhaps, or drowning in an impossible calculus problem—and some weeks seemed to last forever, in the end, the year fairly flew by. Certainly, the first semester was over before I knew it. I was stunned as each month passed, and by the time I had grasped that soccer season had ended, it was Thanksgiving and finals and home for winter break. But the second semester slipped away even faster than the first, thanks to the flurry of activities exploding in the vacuum that daily soccer practices had left behind.

Having survived—and enjoyed—the first year of college, I feel well-prepared and enthusiastic to take on the second year. That edge of confidence and familiarity will help me step up my play on the soccer field and take even better advantage of opportunities at school, particularly those extracurricular and social opportunities that must be balanced around schoolwork. I just have to make sure not to over-commit myself!

There is a lot to look forward to next semester. I’m excited to see the friends I’ll be missing all summer, and will get my first taste of classes specific to civil engineering, my recently-declared major. I am certainly looking forward to the upcoming fall soccer season. The season will bring a new set of freshmen, a new opportunity to train as a team, another shot at UAA games, and new cities to travel to (including St. Louis, in my home state). I get excited just thinking about all of it! And then I remember the summer workouts I have to do: ugh. But then I remind myself that it’s all part of the deal: if we all come into the season in good shape, we’ll be that much more prepared to play. And I definitely want to be prepared to play.

See you in August, Case! I’ll be ready.

Pictures:

Top: Freshmen (L to R) Alex Litofsky, Jackie Guttman, Laura Gabster, Becca Vaughan, and Sammy Sarrett get ready to attend the first annual Spartan Student-Athlete Formal sponsored by CASA (Case Association of Student-Athletes)

Bottom: Freshmen Kristina Vaci, Anna Selser, Sammy Sarrett, and Anna Kennedy enjoy the activities during SpringFest Weekend.

Senior 2009 Farewell - Kirsten McClain

2009-05-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

It’s been six months since our season ended. Six months since returning to my hometown, Rochester, for our final game. Honestly, I remember very little of that final game; it was a blur, a strange phenomenon coming full circle in the city where I grew up and learned the game I loved and where I ultimately ended my career. Looking back I can see vivid snapshots of goals scored and saves made in a variety of games in cities across the country. While the on-field events resulted in wins and losses and a range of sports statistics, it was the off-field relationships that define my experience with Case soccer the most. For some I only got the privilege of playing with them for one year, while others played with me for all four years.

For me soccer is a game. One I have devoted 17 years of my life to because I love it, but like most players I have a love/hate relationship with soccer. Things that I will miss the most , besides my teammates, include (in no particular order- except winning games comes first) winning games, Buddy’s ever-continuous goalie drills, dominating Halloween practice, synchronized swimming, and being able to be laughing hysterically one minute and working hard the next. Things I won’t miss include running sprints, doing pushups, and doing yoga (all of which are not my forte), but having 20 some odd women along side me working towards a common goal definitely made me run faster, although never the fastest unfortunately.

My soccer life now consists of training for the alumni game by watching soccer clips on Youtube and watching the team practice from my room, so I can strategize the alumni team’s plan of attack. In the future I will definitely join a club league, but the level of play will never be the same. I am looking forward to seeing where Case soccer will go in the future. The talent and determination of the women on the team now will, without a doubt, take Case soccer to the top of the conference in the near future. I am honored to have played and been a part of rebuilding this program, and I wish all the best to the current and future Case women’s soccer team.

Kirsten McClain

P.S. GO ALUMNI!!!!!

Photos:

Top: Kirsten (left) "dominating" year 3 of the Halloween practices

Bottom: Kirsten and her new teammates at this spring's Alumni Game

Relay For Life :The True Life Events

2009-04-20T11:06:00.000-04:00

Each semester the team participates in a community service opportunity. This spring the girls participated in Relay for Life this past weekend held on the Case campus at our soccer stadium. Last year, in the first time on Case's campus, the Case community raised more than $60,000 for the fight against cancer. CASA (Case Association of Student-Athletes) led the charge in getting every varsity athletic team represented at this year's Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an 18-hour event in which teams raise money and representatives continuously walk the track. There are an array of activities going on at all times. Kristina Vaci, a freshman biomedical engineering major from Mentor, Ohio, blogged about this year's event.

It was Friday the 17th, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and people were walking. Yes, it was Relay for Life, the day hundreds of students, faculty, and citizens of lovely Cleveland come together and walk for the cure for cancer. The women's soccer team formed a group to walk all night. These are the events of that crazy night...

6:00 p.m. - Our team was asked to arrive to be there for the opening ceremonies (I know it's like the Olympics, right?!)

6:15 p.m. - The whole team finally arrived...time is problem

6:30 p.m. - After several speeches from people in charge and such, the survivor lap started. We clapped as they came around, and it was pretty awesome to see all those that fought and survived cancer.

6:45 p.m. - Everyone except the few and the proud quickly left for the ever important food...it is a basic necessity for survival. So, as many of the girls put the cure on hold, others walked on (cough...ME).

7:00 p.m. - Three laps later, walking got extremely boring and that's when the night truly started...

7:30 p.m. - I received a most critical of text messages. Four of the girls on our team were come over with madness as they decided to chop off their hair and donate it to another version of "Locks for Love." There was an urgent plea for all moral support, but alas, myself and 2 others stomachs grumbled, and though we would have loved to sit in the locker room and watch our teammates luscious locks get cut away, we were so malnourished we could barely crawl. Thus, we headed to Quiznos for a quick dinner.

8:30 p.m. - With our hunger sated, we were back to walking, this time with all the team in full force. It was great that they had a dj playing some of the hippest jams while we walked...it wasn't so great to have to watch some of my fellow teammates show me their "moves." The rumors are true, white girls can't always dance.

9:00 p.m. - The lights were turned out and we had a great luminary ceremony in honor of all those who had lost the fight and those who were still fighting cancer. We also celebrated those who had won the battle!

10:00 p.m. - After such a serious ceremony, only one thing was left to do...yes, shenanigans in the center of the soccer field. We combined forces with some of the boys soccer team as we decided to show of our skills in a game of keep away.

10:15 p.m. - The girls lost our game of keep away as the boys realized they were strong and had the ability to pick us up and take the ball. We then realized the key to winning keep away = dessert. From there we went to get some snacks.

11:00 p.m. - A puppy was sighted and had to be played with. Ok, I saw a puppy and decided to play with it for 45 minutes, but trust me, puppies bring happiness when they're happy, thus making happy people. Happy people are usually optimistic, and optimistic people are perseverant, and perseverant people win the fight against cancer. Thus, by the mathematical transitive property...puppies cure cancer. This is scientific fact.

11:30 p.m. - As we walk around the track, we see people with giant tubs of plastic easter eggs. Seeing this, many of our team members went absolutely crazy and decided we must all collect eggs, combine them, and share the prize. As we lined up to run across the field and grab the eggs, the whistle was blown. Terrifying battle cries sounded as we all charged across the field, ready for anything. Our captain Soo Hoo tripped and screamed "Go on without me!" Ana Arruda dived in front of everyone, tackling 2 kids in the process as she went for the eggs. Alex Litofsky let out a whoop as she furiously picked up eggs. The dust settled, bodies everywhere, we reconvened, and counted the eggs. Turns out they only had change in them and we only made about 20 dollars. On a brighter note, Soo Hoo was alive, we thought we'd lost her.

12:30 a.m. - After sufficient rest from the Battle of the Egg, we went back on the track for a few more laps.

1:30 a.m. - With our rejuvenated spirits, we decided to have another go at some soccer. We started out with some 3 v 3, but this immediately turned in to a full out match on the same size field...the only problem was through the confusion several people thought it'd be great to be secret traitors and constantly switch teams.

2:00 a.m. - People realized there were traitors on both teams and soccer turned into wrestling. Lets say we were once again in need of a nap.

3:00 a.m. - A dragon came in and ate all the peasants.

4:00 a.m. - The night was starting to wear on many people as the walking slowed down, and people headed to their tents. Yet somehow the army reserve team kept someone jogging at all times. They are the few and the proud.

5:00 a.m. - Michael Jackson showed up! Who knew he was best friends with the dean of admissions at Case.

6:00 a.m. - Those who had gone home for some sleep were awoken as a corn hole tournament was started. And if I'm not sleeping...no one is.

7:00 a.m. - By this time, we were the walking dead. As cool as zombies are here at Case (apparent by the fabulous Zombie vs. Humans game here on campus), we decided to sleep.

9:00 a.m. - Several people reconvened to help teach all the young children of Cleveland soccer...there were only 2 kids in Cleveland that day. But that's ok, any chance to goof around with a soccer ball is welcome.

11:00 a.m. - Relay for Life finally winded down. It was a crazy night, but because of the lovely team of women's soccer, cancer is one step closer to being cured. What a great night!

**Since I am not capable of staying up for the whole 18 hours of Relay for Life some of these events may be dramatizations. You'll know which ones...

Almost There...

2009-03-30T10:21:00.000-04:00

written by Kaitlyn Yule ('10)...Nursing major from Raleigh, North Carolina

I am a junior nursing student and a varsity women's soccer team member. My life is pretty much consumed by my major and my sport. I spend sixteen hours a week performing hands-on clinicals at MetroHealth Hospital in downtown Cleveland, and that's simply a required addition to the thirteen hours of classes I attend weekly.

But, despite the often chaotic schedule, I could not see myself doing anything else. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be right smack dab in the middle of an inner city level one trauma center dealing with emergency situations, life or death decisions, and gathering one of a kind life experiences which translate into jaw dropping stories. These past couple of weeks in clinicals has been a little more extraordinary than the usual...with three births, an emergency cesarean section to deliver a dying baby, and the not so everyday occurrence of saving my four month old patient from choking to death.

This Wednesday I had more than I could have asked for while shadowing in the emergency department of MetroHealth, an eighty-one bed unit with eight trauma bays, its very own psych department, and a one of a kind life flight division that provides services to the entire state of Ohio. I was finally where I have always envisioned and where I have worked so hard to be. As the first trauma of the day was life flighted in, the staff prepared for her arrival. The patient was a middle-aged woman who had been struck by two separate vehicles. She had numerous fractures, no pulse in either of her legs, and internal bleeding. Here it was right in front of me, my first trauma and it all happened so quickly. It was organized chaos of doctors and nurses, yelling orders and status updates, frantically trying to find the answer to save this woman's life. Before I knew it she was stabilized and transferred to radiology to have a CT scan to try and find where her massive internal hermorrhage was located. All that's left after a situation such as this is a mess of a room and a collection of emotions that leave you in complete awe of what just happened. The adrenaline that comes from any emergency situation is indescribable.

As a nursing student, I still have so far to go before I get to the day where I'm the nurse working that trauma, but I can finally see that the end is in sight. I have just over a year left and I have worked so hard and sacrificed so much. There is no longer a doubt in my mind that I am doing the right thing. These past few years have been hard, with sleepless nights and days where I've just wanted to give up, but it's all about to pay off. I'm in the final stretch now and can't wait to finally reach the long awaited finish line.

There is another passion in my life that has absolutely nothing to do with sick people, traumatic injuries, or nursing in general. I have played soccer my entire life, never with an end in sight. But it has finally hit me that I have only one season left to play competitively. This fall marks the beginning of the end of something I have known and taken for granted my entire life. We have begun our spring season practices and it has only heightened my awareness that I'm going to be a senior next year. Going into this final season I have such high expectations for myself, and I feel this is my last chance to help the team achieve what I know capable. I have seen not only the team change, but I have also witnessed the entire program completely evolve. The caliber of each individual player is unlike anything we have had in the past years I have been here at Case. A large part of this transformation comes from our current freshmen and sophomore classes. Our freshmen class this year is remarkable. They have so much dedication and work so hard to raise not only their personal level of play but also the team's level. I have this one final season left before I hang up the jersey, but I can truly say I wouldn't want to play my last season with any other group of girls. I'm excited and nervous to begin this final season and also a little jealous knowing that this is the end for me but not for them. The dedication, leadership, intelligence, and athleticism of the girls in the classes below me will impact Case Women's soccer for years. I am jealous that I will not be a part of the future of this team, which I have no doubt consists of conference championships and multiple trips to the NCAA tournament. At the same time, I am proud to say that I am here in the midst of it, that I have a hand in what will some day be known as the powerhouse women's soccer program at Case Western Reserve University.

The Argentine Adventure

2009-03-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

As reported by Anna Selser (2012, Biomedical Engineering)

This spring break, I had two options. Option one: I could return home to Iowa and sit around my house while all my other friends were busy attending school. Option two: I could find an exciting alternative. While Iowa is a lively, exhilarating, fantastic place, I decided to check out a place I had never been. Conveniently, Case offers spring break study abroad trips, and it just so happened that the bioethics department offers a class in Buenos Aires, so my decision was made.

Although I was initially a little apprehensive about not knowing anyone else on the trip, we bonded quickly. It probably helped that Allysen (Case junior soccer player and former study abroader) put in a good word for me with her friends. Our first day there we discovered that Argentines are obsessed with dogs. Everyone has a dog, I have literally never seen so many dogs in my life. Small dogs, big dogs, dogs on leashes, dogs free, dogs in the airport, dogs in kiosks (convenience stores), dogs in dog parks, they're seriously everywhere. The second thing we discovered that day was that they have no problem with PDA. If you walk through a park you literally see couples on top of each other making out. Apparently this is because everyone lives with their parents until they're married, so they have nowhere to go besides parks. Third, empanadas are delicious and they are the equivalent of pizza. There are pizza and empanada fast food places that will deliver. Pure deliciousness. And the final thing we learned that day, some of us the hard way, is that Argentines like to eat the organs of animals. A few boys unfortunately thought they were ordering a platter of meat, and realized halfway through the meal that it was a platter with a little bit of chicken, intestines, liver, and kidneys. It was an interesting first day.

Buenos Aires was beautiful. It's a big city encompassing different neighborhoods, all known for something different. It's interesting to look at because there is a huge contrast between new and old. You will pass a building that has a beautiful marble facade and the building next door across the street might look like somewhere you would never want to enter. Another interesting feature is the amount of green space in an urban setting. There are the most beautiful parks, almost every block. And there are trees everywhere and not just small trees you might see lining streets in America, but big ones. Some streets even have a natural canopy as a result of these.

Although we spent a huge chunk of time in class, we were able to do some awesome things. We were lucky enough to go to a soccer game, La Boca against Indenpendiente, a huge rival game. I've been to professional games abroad before where soccer is a bigger deal than it is in the US, but this was seriously amazing. Apparently right before we got to the stadium there was a riot in the streets, on our side of the stadium, and there was tear gas and police with batons and everything. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to witness this, but the team spirit was amazing. It was an away game for La Boca but there were enough people there to completely fill at least a fourth of the stadium. Everyone is constantly singing songs, they have huge flags they hold up, it was such an experience. And the devotion never died, even though La Boca lost, there was never a decline in enthusiasm.

Besides soccer we did a number of other things. Shopping, of course, was awesome because the exchange rate was fantastic. We shopped in stores and a number of craft type fairs with goods made by Argentines themselves. We also went to a great art museum call Malba, saw the beautiful Japanese Gardens, went to the cemetery with Evita's tomb, and saw a tango show in Buenos Aires' oldest cafe.

It's hard to sum up ten days in a short blog, but hopefully you can get an idea of the amazing time I had. It was cool to see a different culture, it was beautiful, and I had a fantastic time. I'm glad I was able to meet new people, Argentines and Case students, and I completely recommend the trip to anyone looking to get away next year.

Alumni Update - Bridget Mason

2009-03-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

This post is by Bridget Mason, a 2008 Case Grad. I had the privilege of coaching Bridget

her senior season. She was the heart and soul of the 2007 team, the type of player that teammates play to honor. As a centerback, she was the backbone of our defensive line and played all but 4 minutes the entire season. She also scored the most important goal of the season against Rochester on her Senior Night. She was a star in a game that was largely a defensive battle. We earned a corner kick, much against the run of play, and Bridget, like Bridget does, came through for her team by finding the ball in the air and heading it past the Rochester keeper. She then rallied her team for the remainder of the second half and for two exhausting overtime periods, thwarting everything Rochester threw at us. It was so fitting of Bridget and her career at Case. She is the most competitive and passionate player I have ever coached, an inspiration to all of us involved in the program.

Nine months out of college has seemed like nine years. I somehow imagined that I would have infinite amounts of time and that life would be considerably less hectic than it was in college. Wrong. I especially misjudged how great it was to have the opportunity to be a part of a team, and how much I would miss it.

My soccer career at Case had a somewhat rocky start. I had trouble making the transition from high school to college, and started off my freshman season with mono, and decided that maybe the whole soccer commitment wasn't something I could handle. My dorm room sophomore year had a view directly over the turf field, which made it especially difficult to pretend like I didn't wish I could still be playing. By the end of their season, sophomore year, I decided that I couldn't live without soccer. It was driving me crazy not being able to play and those sentiments far outweighed whatever it was that made me think I should quit in the first place. My junior and senior seasons were fantastic - not necessarily in the traditional sense of having a very winning team, but in the sense that I was able to escape totally into the game or practice almost every time I played. It was as if nothing else mattered - tests, homework, job applications, everything else went on the backburner. On top of that great escape, I made some of the best friends I had in college with the other girls on the team. I doubt I'll ever have another experience like this one, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.

I now work as an AmeriCorps VISTA (volunteer in service to America), and run a college-access mentoring program through Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA). I recruit Drexel and UPenn students to serve essentially as college counselors in two of the West Philly public high schools. The students we work with have often been deprived of an even moderately decent public education and have constantly been subjected to less-than-ideal educational environments. We work to help them formulate plans for graduation and expose them to a variety of post-graduation opportunities. Although this job has been extremely challenging, I love it and am incredibly lucky to have been exposed to many different, and often ignored, perspectives on the state of public education in the U.S.

I miss Case and the soccer team very much, but I am finding new passions and am fortunate to have the foundations that my time on that Case turf with my coach and teammates provided me.

Pictures

Top (L to R): Bridget Mason, Kelly Goris, and Katie Skillin at the Annual Halloween Practice

Middle: Bridget playing her senior year versus Carnegie Mellon

Bottom: The 2007 team in downtown Chicago (also Bridget's hometown)

Captain's Corner

2009-02-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

This week I've asked Jen Soo Hoo, our junior captain from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey to write our blog. Jen is one of the most remarkable student-athletes I have had the opportunity to coach. She loves soccer and is the member of our team I see most often in the athletic building for workouts. She's one of the most talented players in the UAA (Honorable Mention UAA in 2007), but she's also one of the most intelligent and driven student-athletes in the country. She was accepted into Case's PPSP program upon her undergraduate admission. This program is highly selective and competitive (Madeline VanGunten and Ana Arruda are also in the program in their respective majors). Admission to the medicine PPSP program requires Jen to keep a 3.6 gpa in her math and science courses (she has maintained a 3.831 cum gpa) and grants her entry to Case Medical School following her graduation. While that is impressive in itself, Jen has also put herself in position to graduate in 3 years from Case this spring and has gained acceptance to Case Med School starting this summer. Next fall, she will attempt to play her senior year of soccer while balancing her first year of med school.
Jen's blog...
As a junior on the team, I should be used to the usual routine of the off season workouts. However, I'm surprised to find myself just as excited and nervous in preparing for next season as I was my freshman year. Maybe it's the fact that next year will be my last season (something I do not want to admit), but, regardless, I'm extremely pumped to see what next year brings. This team has definitely changed for the better since my first year. I'm happy to see that there is a strong team commitment toward keeping up a routine of working out despite being in the off season with an increasing amount of academic commitments. I'm especially proud of the dedication of the freshmen class. It's been really cool being able to walk into Veale and know that I will see at least a couple of my teammates there.

Balancing academics with soccer has always been a huge part of soccer season. Although I'm excited for next year's fall season, I'm also extremely nervous about how I'm going to balance my new academic load. As I've been accepted into Case medical school a year early, I will have to try and handle all the medical school commitments while trying to make time to play my final season. Although it may be impossible to do, it is definitely something I will try. Besides the fact that soccer has always been a huge part of my life and I'm not ready to give it up yet, I am also not ready to give up playing with this team. This team is by far the nicest team I have been on.
It is the first time I can honestly say that I like everyone on the team, and I've formed some really strong and interesting (Maddy) friendships. The girls I have met and the bonds I have formed have made my time at Case much more enjoyable and fun. These girls mean so much to me, and I really want one last season to enjoy with them before I officially commit myself to treating soccer injuries instead of being the one that constantly needs treatment! I have a really good feeling about next year, and I am really looking forward to being a part of it as much as I can!!!

Pictures
Top - Jen playing in our final 2008 home game versus Washington University
Middle - (L to R) Jen Soo Hoo, Bridget Mason, Caroline Garber, Caitlin Miller, Kaitlyn Yule, Ana Arruda in St. Louis prior to our game versus Wash U (2007)
Bottom - (L to R) Jen Soo Hoo, Kaitlyn Yule, Liz Altenau, Caitlin Miller - Teammates and roommates in the Village at 115th

Ballin' Outta Control

2009-02-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

contributed by Anna Kennedy '12 (Evanston, IL) and Anna Selser '12 (Bettendorf, IA)

Box out! Post up! Zone! Rebound! Layup!

"What?" "What's that?" "Where am I supposed to be right now?"

That is the Case Women's Soccer team's response to most basketball terms shouted from the few players that actually know what they're doing on the court. During this offseason the team

divided to make two intramural basketball teams. Along with bonding and conditioning, the team also had the chance to realize how uncoordinated their teammates are, specifically at basketball.

Any educated person would think that a collegiate soccer team would be pretty well-rounded in the sporting world. Sure enough, the Case Women's soccer team has surprised the public once again, not by making improving strides on the soccer field, but by giving a new meaning to the word terrible.

Now do not get the wrong impression by this blog, we do try. We play the full 40 minutes all out, just not well. Now, here is a recap of the games played by the team so far:

After a very physical game, including Katelyn Etscheidt almost killing a girl, team one suffered a heartbreaking first loss 11-27 to their rivals, the volleyball team. The second game against Phi Mu was much closer but the girls still fell short losing 22-27. The third game was cancelled due to weather, but had the game been played, Team One surely would have had their first win.

That was Selser (Anna) reporting for her team, and now she has handed the computer off to me, Kennedy (the "other Anna") to report on Team 2. The volleyball matchup was again a very physical game for our squad, but we fought through it. Yet, the much taller volleyball team came up AGAIN with a 36-30 win over us. Our following game was cancelled also due to Cleveland weather, but that just helped us prepare for our next game; the duel of the soccer teams.

The much anticipated game occurred Monday, February 9. Those in attendance witnessed an epic game. Highlights included Vaci and Selser unintentionally completing their "mongoose" play, Maddy being the MVP, flagrant fouls left and right, and Kennedy dunking on everyone (just kidding). Team two had a significant lead until Cici Fusco organized Team one into a zone defense. Team one picked up their level of play but not enough to win the game and end up losing 18-27.

Both teams have advanced to the intramural playoffs and have been practicing intensely. Surely their hard work will pay off and the teams will be ready to compete at the next level.

Another update...

2009-01-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

This update is written by Annie Altenau, a sophomore nursing major from Cincinnati, Ohio. The picture is from our Halloween practice in the fall. Annie is on the left with her Mario Brothers partner, Megan Link (a sophomore nursing major from Columbus, Ohio).

"I am finally back into the swing of things after being home in Cincinnati for three and a half weeks for winter break. It was nice having time off from school to relax and catch up with old friends, but I was excited to come back to campus and start a new semester and meet back up with the team. Classes this semester will result in long days and countless hours of reading and other homework. This semester I will spend 16 hours at the hospital for clinicals, in addition to my other classes, which include my final university SAGES. I figured that it would be better to take an extra class during the spring semester instead of the fall semester during soccer season.

Besides classes, the team is working hard to prepare for next season. We meet in groups once a week to go through a lifting circuit, and are get together twice a week to play pick-up soccer and work on ball skills. Individually we do fitness several times a week, but rarely are we alone. Usually, while at Veale, I run into several teammates who are also doing their workouts. Another activity that we are doing as a team is intramural basketball. Although we are lacking in our basketball skills, everyone has a blast and is laughing the entire game.

Everyone is excited for the future of Case’s women’s soccer program and is extremely optimistic for the upcoming season. We all know that the work that we are currently putting in will pay off come fall."

Back in the routine...

2009-01-25T21:15:00.000-05:00

I've asked several of our current team members to contribute to the blog this semester. They, obviously, can contribute a more interesting perspective of the Case experience than I can!

This update is by Kristina Vaci, a freshman biomedical engineering major from Mentor, Ohio.

"The second semester has just started and it's off to a great start. Classes are relatively easygoing at the moment and the overall atmosphere is quite relaxing. Offseason workouts just started, and I'm excited to say everyone is doing them at 100%. It's nice to come to pick-up games every Friday and see how driven the team is to play and get better for next season, yet we still have tons of fun. The real fun is in our intramural basketball games that started last week. We've split into two teams and my team had its first game last Wednesday. We came out with high spirits, and though we may have lost (and not scored the whole second half)...it was still the best part of my day! Besides, we're soccer girls, we don't know what to do with our hands!

Formal recruitment started for sororities (if you're into going into a room of a million of girls talking at once and asking the same question). Let's just say it was not for me, though everyone else seemed to have a fantastic time. It's a great way to get involved in the school.

I'm happy to be back at Case after a great break because as much as I love home...nothing is better than being able to see all my friends at school. It's even better to know that a short break strengthens our team because the weekend we got back we all hung out as per usual. I'm excited to see how this semester goes!"

Reminiscing on 2008

2009-01-08T14:38:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, here are some links to some of the press the Fall 2008 team received.

http://blog.case.edu/varsity/2008/09/04/opening_weekend_off_to_a_great_start

http://blog.case.edu/varsity/2008/10/14/baumann_in_boston_with_womens_soccer

http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/pastheadlines.htm (scroll down to Sept 20 to hear Caitlin Miller's radio interview and Oct 31 to see Ana Arruda's video story)

http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/news/2008-09/pr08_29_08.htm

http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/news/2008-09/pr09_16_08A.htm

http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/news/2008-09/pr10_22_08.htm

http://www.chagrinvalleytimes.com/NC/0/373.html

Enjoy!!!

Why Case????

2008-12-30T13:16:00.001-05:00

On a roadtrip this fall, we asked the team to answer some questions about Case and our soccer program. Here are some of the responses...

Why did you choose Case?

“I wanted a smaller school where I could get an individual experience and education, but I didn’t want to sacrifice any opportunities that larger universities offer.” – Liz Altenau’09: Biomedical Engineering

“Case is the one school I applied to that had everything I wanted: a strong academic program, particularly in engineering, the opportunity to play varsity soccer, and generous financial aid.” – Alex Litofsky’12: Environmental Engineering

“I chose Case because it has a great Pre-med reputation, research job availabilities, and the exceptional hospital systems surrounding campus.” – Allysen Arblaez’10: Anthropology, Psychology, Pre-med

“I chose Case for its academics and joint-music program. I’m able to continue my music career and play soccer while making the most of the University’s resources and opportunities.” – Frances Hogan’11: Music, International Studies

“For its academics. It had the major I was looking for. It was in a big enough city and I wanted to play soccer.” – Jackie Guttman’12: Engineering

What sets Case apart from other schools?

“Case has a really strong pre-med program and a lot of resources near campus and within the community (Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals) that are great for undergraduates to gain good experience. It’s a very solid research university.” – Jen Soo Hoo’10: Psychology, Pre-med

“Case has the right balance between exceptional science programs and other disciplines. It has a good reputation and a steady balance between hard work and focus and having fun. Many schools lack that balance.” – Alex Litofsky’12: Environmental Engineering

“Everyone at Case is extremely hard-working. It inspires you to work hard, which ends up happening in all aspects of your life.” – Allysen Arblaez’10: Anthropology, Psychology, Pre-med

“Case is the kind of school where you meet a lot of totally different people from completely different places. It’s not the school you go to and already know twenty kids from your high school.”– Anna Selser’12: Biomedical Engineering

“A lot of people’s college experiences are all about partying and going crazy, but at Case you learn responsibility. You grow up and learn to manage school, sports, and a social life.” – Kaitlyn Yule’10: Nursing

How important is soccer to your Case experience?

“Very. I couldn’t imagine going to school and not playing soccer. It gives me something to work for.” – Katie Fromwiller’10: Computer Engineering

“Soccer is really important to my experience. Ultimately I am here for the academics, but soccer provides an outlet for me and is where I spend most of my time. My closest friends are on the team.” – Laura Gabster’12: Pre-med

“It’s vital - It’s how I found my best friends. It gives me something to look forward to each day. It has become such a huge part of my life that I can’t imagine giving it up.” – Annie Altenau’11: Nursing

What do you feel are the strongest features of our soccer program?

“I think the strongest feature of our program is the people in it. Everybody wants to be here and really cares about improving, so they put forth their best efforts.” – Stephanie Chinchen’11: Biology

“The understanding, respect and communication among the players and coaches, combined with our hard work and unity build a competitive spirit and desire to improve and to win.” Caitlin Miller’09: Biomedical Engineering

“The closeness of the girls and the friendships off the field strengthen the team. The coaches push us to work hard and the players demand and expect the best from each other. It makes everyone get better.” – Ana Arruda’11: Dentistry

“I think the coaching staff is great not only on the field, but off it. Someone is always available to talk about concerns. There’s also a lot of leadership on the field, not just from captains but from every single player. Everyone builds each other up and offers advice so we improve as individuals and as a team.” – Anna Selser’12: Engineering

“I think our girls are our strongest feature. The dedication and heart they put into it makes unlike any other program.” – Kaitlyn Yule’10: Nursing

What words that best describe the Case soccer program and its goals?

Competitive, hard- working and improving. – Kristina Vaci’12: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Med

Determination, hard work, respect. – Caitlin Miller’09: Biomedical Engineering

Hard work, fun, commitment. – Amy Baumann’11: Biochemistry, Pre-Med

Competitive, hard-working, supportive. – Sammy Sarrett’12: Biomedical Engineering

What were your main concerns, both academic and athletic, as you arrived at Case?

“I thought it would be hard to find time for everything, but with good time management it’s really not bad at all. I get homework done in between classes and when I have free time, so that when it’s time for practice, I can focus only on soccer.” Kristina Vaci’12: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-med

“I was nervous about the work load, being away from my friends and family, and being on my own for the first time.” – Annie Altenau’11: Nursing

“I was worried about how prepared I was for both the season and the academics at Case. I was also worried about managing my course load with soccer.” – Laura Gabster’12: Pre-med

“I was concerned about handling the academics while playing soccer, but by staying on top of my work it’s not been as hard as I thought.” – Megan Link’11: Nursing

How big of a challenge is it to be a varsity athlete AND a strong student?

“It’s harder than not being a varsity athlete, but most students at Case get involved in a lot of things. You just have to manage your time well. Athletics shouldn’t have a negative effect on your academics if you work hard and make smart decisions with your time.” – Stephanie Chinchen’11: Biology

“It’s a pretty big challenge, but it helps keep your priorities straight.” – Anna Kennedy’12 – Engineering

“It is definitely harder academically during season, but you’re used to it. Most of these girls have been balancing school and athletics their entire lives. You find a way that works for you.” – Kaitlyn Yule’10: Nursing

“It’s difficult, but far from impossible. It requires good time management skills and focus.” – Frances Hogan’11: Music, International Studies

“It’s a great balance, and one pushes you to be better at the other.” – Ana Arruda’11: Dentistry

“It is challenging to play a sport and balance school work, but all the girls on the team are very supportive. Staying organized and managing your free time are the keys to success.” – Kirsten McClain’09 - Anthropology

How do you keep the balance among soccer, academics and other activities?

“I take things one at a time. Every challenge is a new lesson and a way to better myself.” – Rebecca Vaughan’12: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-med

“I just plan it all out. I write down all practices and other meetings on a calendar and do my homework around that. Time management is key.” – Stephanie Chinchen’11: Biology

“Stay calm, and understand that although it takes a lot of work and effort, it’s all doable. Just know what is most important, and do one thing at a time.” – Ana Arruda’11: Dentistry

“I kept my balance by always staying on top of my classes and being sure to seek help outside class from teammates or professors if I got behind.” – Kirsten McClain’09 - Anthropology

Visions of Champions???

2008-12-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Despite the rain and the raised stress and anxiety levels on campus (it is finals time), I'm feeling pretty calm and optimistic. I spent the weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina watching and identifying possible future Case women's soccer players. Our university and women's soccer program has generated a great deal of interest amongst talented high school student-athletes, rightfully so. Yet, that's not what has me feeling the most optimistic. Adding players to our program is very important, but it's even more critical what our current team members are contributing.

On my journey in to the office, I was reminded why I have so much faith in our current group. I drove past 2 of our players out for a run in the less than ideal weather and found 2 more stretching on the indoor track after a run and a lift. It reminds me of a story that Anson Dorrance (UNC coach, 2008 National Champions, 19th National Championship overall) tells regularly about Mia Hamm. She was the most prolific player on the North Carolina team (and in UNC history) and could have easily survived on her natural talent. However, Mia Hamm wanted to be her absolute best and made a committment to the pursuit of it. Anson recalls driving into work early one morning, passing a soccer field and seeing a girl, all alone, running sprints repeatedly. He was inspired to leave a note in the locker of that girl, Mia Hamm. His note read "The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking." It's that committment, that desire, that discipline to do the work for one's goals when no one is there watching that will move our program forward, will make us better than we have been, and will create more memorable experiences for everyone.

Imagine the possibilities if we all gave that effort.

Holiday Party

2008-12-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

Last night, we officially wrapped up the 2008 season with our Holiday Party. I hope it was a welcome break from the stress of school at this time of year for our student-athletes (by the way, our team GPA of 3.3 earned us another NSCAA Team Academic Award) . It's the last week of classes for most of the team, but also finals week for several.

We met in the Veale Center in the Multi-Purpose Room, after watching some great Case performers that were using the facility. We ate pasta from Mama Santas (Little Italy) and caught up with each other before getting to the main event...the entertainment. This year's freshmen were OUTSTANDING, performing an Oprah inspired skit that good-naturedly poked fun at nearly everyone in the program. It was clever and a great improvement over their synchronized swimming routine in preseason (it was a flop!). The sophomores had to provide entertainment again this year thanks to their lackluster performance last year. While they did not match their award-winning synchronized swimming routine, it was a drastic improvement over last year. The matching outfits and entire group dance was entertaining to most!

We also honored our seniors with gifts from the team and awarded our first-ever Spartan Award to the very deserving, Caitlin Miller. She was chosen by her teammates and coaching staff as an outstanding teammate, one that inspires and truly represents what our program is all about. The coaches also racked up some great gifts from the team (I'm especially excited about getting another pair of lucky shoes for next fall!).

We also did a gift exchange of our favorite things. Their were some great battles over several of the items, the Nerf gun, basketball hoop, and various pairs of socks and gloves. The deals of Black Friday led to an unbelievable gift exchange. It's amazing what some people were able to find with only $10 to spend!!

Another season and semester has come to an end. It's amazing how fast the fall goes. I'm very proud of this group and honored to be a part of our program. They have amazing things in their futures, as a team and as individuals. I'm very excited about the experiences that lie ahead!

Welcome!!

2008-12-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

I've been spending some time lately checking out blogs on the internet, and it seems like the thing to do nowadays. So, why not have a blog about our women's soccer program at Case? I get asked a lot of the same questions about our program, our team, and our university. So, I'm hoping this will be a great resource for information as well as a great place to keep updated on the team and the energy they are bringing to making our program better and better by the day.

At the end of the day, our program is about the people (the student-athletes, the coaches, the support staff, the fans), that's what makes us special and makes the experience memorable and worthwhile. This will hopefully be about and for those people. I hope you enjoy!