Coming full circle: Emily Anderson
Aug. 27, 2009
Andy Ortegon, Texas Media Relations When Emily Anderson walked on to the Texas pitch three years ago, she was a self proclaimed, "nervous little freshman, who had a lot to learn about both, soccer and college." Flash forward three years, and the dominant 5-11 forward/defender, is now team captain, holds a 4.0 G.P.A. in the McCombs School of Business Accounting Masters program and claims she feels like an "old person" compared to all the freshmen this year. Anderson says came into the Texas program practically a nobody - her words. "Chris [Petrucelli] didn't really know who I was," she said of UT's head coach. Having been recruited by an assistant coach who did not return to the program the following year, Anderson was forced to try out for the team as a walk-on. She proved that she could keep up well enough to be welcomed on board, but she would spend months working towards earning a starting position. "I was here every minute I could be, even in the summer, because I wanted to be on the field," Anderson added. "The work definitely paid off. I improved my touch, my passing, my shots and even my overall decision making. Most importantly, I feel like I gained so much more confidence." Anderson didn't have to wait long for her hard work to showcase itself on the pitch. She led all 2006 newcomers in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points. Then just one year later in the Big 12 Championship final against Texas A&M, she netted the Longhorns first goal less than two minutes in to the Horns 2-1 win over the Aggies. As a junior, the Austin native continued to grow and make a difference for the team as she started in 19 of 21 games and set a season-high with nine points off four goals and one assist. She was also named team's Most Improved Player by her fellow teammates and coaching staff. While her on the field achievements were definitely something to talk about, she was also succeeding on a high rate off the pitch. Last season, she was the only Big 12 soccer player to earn a 4.0 G.P.A. and became the third player in Texas history to earn ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, all while being accepted into Texas' competitive and prestigious MPA program.
Anderson's stellar academic standing didn't go unnoticed, as she was recruited to participate in the exclusive Deloitte International Conference specialized for students in the fields of audit, tax, and consulting this past spring. "It was held in Switzerland and essentially we performed several case studies specialized in our particular field of interest," she explained. "For example, one of the cases we worked on was to come up with a logistical plan for South Africa, in order to host the 2012 Olympics. So we worked with kids from all over, mostly Europe, learned a lot and actually had a lot of fun." In Anderson's opinion, school consumes the majority of her life outside of collegiate competition. "Most of the time, I spend my time at home studying," she commented. "My dad always tells me to take it easy and that I need to get out and enjoy life more, but I just feel like if I know I can do something, than I have to do it." However, according to her teammates, there is a lot more to Emily than just school and soccer. "She's from Austin, so she is in love with a lot of things that the city is known for," said fellow senior teammate Casey Mogk. "She loves being outside hiking or riding bikes with her boyfriend and two dogs, and also loves to sketch. She is always sketching, though occasionally she does really awesome portrait paintings." Emily's time here has shown her grow both as a student and as an athlete. And she has done both, far beyond anyone's expectations. "That first year it felt like I really wanted to be out on the field, now, I feel like I belong out there." |
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