Horns and Wheels up: On the road with Texas Soccer
Aug. 19, 2012
Freshmen Kelsey Shimmick and Lindsey Meyer talk about making their Longhorn debuts and taking their first road trip as members of the Texas Soccer program. Shimmick: No matter what level I’ve been playing at, whenever I first step onto the field I’m nervous for those first few minutes. After that, I’m able to settle in and feel comfortable. It was the same thing for me Friday. Meyer: For me, whenever I step on the field, it’s like all the hard work has paid off. It’s very exciting. The games are what we live and work for all along. Shimmick: Absolutely. It was just fun to play under the lights and for an entirely new team. We just got here, and to be able to actually match well with the other players and produce on the field with everybody was awesome. I would say there have been teams that have been as close as we are, but I’ve never been part of one that has jelled as quickly as we have. Meyer: Definitely. We’ve been here for about two weeks of preseason and already we’re at that point. We would go all out on the field for somebody. It was just like during our fitness testing at the beginning of the year when we were literally pushing each other around the track to make sure we finished and met our goals. That’s what it was like in the end of the game. Kristin [Cummins] said she was nearly ready to fall over at the end, but kept pushing for us. Shimmick: All that fitness paid off in the game. I was tired, but I knew I could keep going. It was a result of doing all the 120 [yard sprints] and other running tests we had. Ange [head coach Angela Kelly] and Keeley [Dowling, assistant coach] are molding us into what they said they would. They’ve already changed our mental attitude. There were some runs I made during the game Friday that in the past I probably would have said I couldn’t make. But I knew I could make them Friday.
Meyer: We’ve all said we’ve never been pushed this hard before. It’s totally different from club and high school soccer. It’s good that we’re being pushed to what we didn’t think we could accomplish before. All that we’ve gone through has made us a lot closer. Shimmick: I was excited after the game and then had to make sure to pack. I didn’t want to forget anything on my first road trip! Waking up this morning, I was dragging. Once we started, the travel today was very cool. It was extravagant. Meyer: We started the day with a smoothie and bagel delivered to our bus before we left for the airport. It’s really incredible what we’re provided with to fly to Arkansas and play one game and then return home. Hanging out with the team today has been the best part, though. We went to Carrabba’s for a team dinner [after a post-flight jog at Arkansas’ field] and that was a lot of fun. It’s great when we are able to talk to each other, relax and have a good time as a group. We can get along all the time no matter what. Shimmick: Everyone is probably going to be a little nervous going to the game tomorrow, especially the freshmen. It’s our first road trip and we’re playing a Southeastern Conference team. It’ll be a good test. But the best part is knowing the entire team has your back. We just have to go out and do what we’ve always done. Meyer: I need to take care of my responsibilities in order to take care of the team. |
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