Horns and Wheels up: On the road with Texas Soccer
Oct. 31, 2012 SAN ANTONIO - Blossom Stadium is where I played all my high school games. It's really exciting and kind of weird at the same time to be back. I never thought I'd play there again. To be back and have the opportunity will be exciting. It's a little bittersweet, too, because it'll be my last time there as the Big 12 Championship will be in Kansas City [LIVESTRONG Sporting Park] the next two years. It brings back a lot of memories and that has been really cool. My favorite memory at Blossom was from the regional quarterfinal my senior year [of high school]. We played Reagan, a really big crosstown rival. We had lost to them both times during the regular season, but in the quarterfinal we beat them to advance to the regional tournament. That was great, but a win Wednesday morning would definitely top that for favorite memory. I think a few of the guys who have been doing the "La-Cha-Pales" are going to come down and watch the game. My mom and dad will also be there. I know my high school coaches and a lot of the girls from my high school soccer team who are still in the area will be there, as well as some of my friends. It'll be exciting to see them and sort of play in front of a home crowd. It'll be a neat day as a whole. I want to keep winning for the city of San Antonio, but also for my teammates. It'll be a great opportunity to be in San Antonio for the week and get to spend a little bit of time with my family. As a team, we'll be able to spend more time together and grow closer. It's funny riding around on the bus so far and, if the driver takes a turn, I know if it's a different route than I would take. One of our managers, Travis Smith, is also from here and is in the same boat. We smile at each other and nod if we think there has been a wrong turn. We went to practice this morning and then had some lunch. On the way back to the hotel, everyone had to pick a song, get up to the front of the bus and sing in front of the team. That was a nice way for everyone to bond together. Sydney Shutter was hilarious.
We came back to the hotel and were able to relax for a while. My mom actually came and got me, so I was able to see her for a while. Then we ate dinner as a team and spent some time together before going to bed. This team has been everything that I wanted. The support and camaraderie that we have on the staff and team is really welcoming. I think everyone fits in so perfectly on our team. Through all the wins and losses and ups and downs it has been a great season. I couldn't have asked for a better team. We definitely want to send our seniors out on a high. Friday on Senior Night we obviously wanted to win for them. Even though we didn't get the win, I think the seniors were proud of us for the way we played and how we fought. We played really well in that game against West Virginia. It gave us a new piece of confidence and motivation to go into the tournament and win. We don't want to try and just compete, but we want to try and win the whole thing. I think everybody is super excited to play, to play for our seniors and to play each game like it could be our last one. |
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