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Powerful Chemistry Among Four Seniors 8/25/2005 By Jennifer O’Neill With one season remaining, the four seniors on the Vanderbilt women’s soccer team have been through a lot together and hope their chemistry can carry the Commodores to the NCAA tournament. Having been through so much, the chemistry between them and the rest of the team could baffle a science professor. Senior midfielders Ashley Duffy, Meghan Habig and Lauren Mitchell and senior forward Kelci Hegg recall their first days as members of the team four years ago. “We all have different personalities, but we have come together really well,” Mitchell said. “Just the other day we were thinking back to freshmen year preseason when there was no one else on campus and we were staying in a hotel together,” Duffy said. “We were talking about how sad we were then to have left home and how we didn’t know what was before us at Vanderbilt. That seems so long ago now. We now cannot imagine a time without each other, and we’ll all hang out even when soccer is finished because we’re such good friends.” In the class of 2006 there initially were 10 players on the women’s soccer team. However, due to injuries, red shirts and other interests only four of them remain teammates. “We have been together for four years and [Coach] Ronnie [Coveleskie Hill] has been our coach the whole time,” Mitchell said. “She came the year before we got there, so there was a new coach and we were her first class of freshmen. There were 10 of us that year, and throughout the four years it has dwindled to four seniors and two juniors who are red shirts.” All four seniors have had to deal with injuries and adjusting to their role as team leaders. Duffy, Habig, Hegg and Mitchell were suddenly presented with new responsibilities. With few seniors on the team, the four knew it was up to them to help the Commodores recover from a rough start of five losses and two ties in the first nine games of the 2004 season. Hegg, a starting forward, moved to defense due to injuries on the team. After the switch, the Commodores lost only one of their final 10 regular season games and advanced to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference, the furthest the team has advanced since 2000. Mitchell said their success was due in large part to how closely the team bonded to each other. She said that the closeness of the team reminded her of when she was being recruited by Vanderbilt, and how the tight bond between players drew her to the University. While the team is close on the field, they also spend a lot of time together off the field. In addition to participating in organized team-bonding activities such as a white water rafting trip and team dinners, they frequently go out together for movies and meals. They also attend many of the other Vanderbilt athletic teams’ home games together. Despite spending so much time together on and off the field, each of the seniors has a unique personality. Hegg was voted the team’s biggest flirt. Mitchell is said to be a nerd since she is an engineering student who spends time building bridges and egg drop parachutes for various competitions. Habig is a member of a sorority. And Duffy is a political science and communications major. In their final season at Vanderbilt, the seniors hope to lead the team to the SEC championship and earn the team’s first NCAA tournament berth since 1998. “We are really motivated to win the SEC because it is our time to win and go out with a bang,” Mitchell said. “Our goal is to win the SEC and make the NCAA tournament. We made it to the SEC semis last year and lost to Tennessee. “We ended last season really strong, so we’re excited about this season because we didn’t lose many people and gained some great freshmen.” The four open their final season in Commodore uniforms August 26 at the University of Colorado. |
