Women’s soccer club starts season

Many college students see intramural sports as a way to blow off some steam and have a little fun, but for some the action just isn’t serious enough.

Senior psychology major Kari Goodbar and her friends used to play intramural soccer, but said she missed “playing against people who knew what they were doing.”

“Also being part of a team,” she added, “that was something that we definitely missed.”

This drive for a more hard-nosed attitude toward soccer led Goodbar, Colleen Foy and Jessica Baumgart to create a women’s club soccer team.

The team was approved as an organization by the Student Government Association last Fall and received a grant of $750 by the Office of RecSports. The money goes toward a league fee and referees. Each team member had to pay $25 for operating expenses and were also asked to purchase a jersey that cost $40. The team also has to pay for its own transportation.

Although there were not official tryouts for the team, experience was a necessity for all potential players.

“If you’re trying to get on a club team you’re aware of the level of play that everyone else is at,” Foy said. “We told the girls at our first meeting that this is something that is above intramurals.”

The team shares a close bond because of the girls’ shared love of the game.

“You spend the whole day with the same people in your classes and its good to get out there and meet freshmen and sophomores and juniors and share this common bond of soccer,” Foy said. “I formed great friendships, and it’s good to spend time with those girls because I think it’s an awesome group of girls.”

Sophomore environmental science major Katie Garth shares that sentiment.

“It’s like a family because this is something that we all really love,” Garth said. “We spend a lot of time together.”

The women practice three days a week, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. This dedication to the sport is a clear way that club soccer differs from intramural soccer.

“It’s different from intramurals because we all really miss soccer and we want to be here for soccer,” Garth said. “Most of us had played for a really long time so it’s more serious and concentrated.”

Goodbar says playing on a club team is more competitive than playing on an intramural team.

“When you get back into it, it’s really nice to play at that level again,” Goodbar said. “To play with people who are talented and skilled is a great thing.”

The team is a part of the Southeastern Club Soccer Association. The SCSA created the schedule for the current season. The women tied their first two games against the University of Georgia and Kennesaw.

The team members believe that all of the effort and time they put into their team is well worth it.

“An hour of running or an hour at the gym doesn’t make me as happy as half an hour of soccer,” Goodbar said. “I never leave somewhere in a better mood than after I play soccer.”