OCT. 19, 2012 - FAREWELL SENIORS

Tonight marked our last home game of the season- senior night! We beat Marion 3-1 with three beautiful goals from Kristina Lopienski (2!) and Kate Vendrely, which was an awesome way to end our home season. This week's blog is dedicated to our 11 wonderful seniors: Mara Swartzentruber, Sara Soto, Lynn Weaver, Julia Miller, Kristina Lopienski, Kahyra Ramirez, Bianca Brambila, Kelsey Schrock, Marina do Valle, Rachel Stoltzfus, and Sonia Navarro. We asked them to tell us what they like about Goshen, and here are some responses.

Julia Miller: "I have really loved the sense of community at Goshen. I have made some really good friends both through soccer and class that I plan on keeping in touch with in the future."

Lynn Weaver: "I think one of my favorite memories was the Menno Classic out at Christopher Dock. It was so much fun to play with the other Mennonite schools, as well as have all my family from the Lancaster area see me play. Having almost an entire bleacher section cheer for you is a pretty cool/embarrassing feeling. It was also a blast staying with Tahnee and getting my first taste of Rita's, which is the bomb and I as really sad that we don't have that here in Indiana. Beating EMU was a very fun part of that trip as well."

Kahyra Ramirez:  "What I like about Goshen is how friendly everyone is. It has made it a lot easier to adapt to the school and I have met some great people. I really enjoyed spending time with the girls on the soccer team this year and I have built amazing friendships with many of them. I also love how beautiful this campus is but I do not like the train."

Kelsey Schrock: "One thing I really love about Goshen is our commitment to core values, especially global citizenship. One of the main reasons I was drawn to Goshen is because of the Study Service Term where I probably learned just as much in one semester as I did in all of my college career. I also love that it's cool here to compost, eat locally and ride your bike."

Sonia Navarro: "Back into my years at Goshen, one thing I will remember was joining the team. Coming into season, I did not know what to expect. I was coming in a senior, first year player. Soccer brought a different aspect of Goshen that I had not encountered in any of my 3 years. It brought me a pack of whole new friends that I came to cherish. Season taught me things inside and outside the field. One of them was dedication, because as Marina Do Valle once told me during pre-season, ‘If you cheat yourself, you cheat the team.' Soccer at Goshen brought intensity, Fabio took us to the next level bringing the best in us. Soccer brought plenty of great people along with exciting adventures."

Kristina Lopienski: "Some of the best friends I've made over the years were from the soccer team."

Bianca Brambila: "I only got to play one year here at Goshen college, something that I can say that I will always remember is the pre-season that we got to do in a nice place.  Going to Alabama was an awesome experience and especially because I was with a soccer team which made it more enjoyable.  Soccer is a game that I love and completes my person, so when ever I get to do anything that involves playing soccer is a memory to me. Soccer=Life"

We know that the whole team is going to miss the seniors after they graduate this year, but they've left us with so many great memories. A few of these were: Kelsey is always ready to have random dance parties and always has the best dance moves (from Emma Caskey), Julia and Kristina seem to intimidate all the incoming players- though now we know that they're awesome (from Malaina Weldy… and well, most of the rest of us), Rachel's enthusiasm all the time, and Sara's creative cheer inventing- "we roll deep!"

On behalf of the entire team, we would like to wish all of the seniors the best in the coming years. We've loved sharing our soccer experiences with all of you, and we will miss you all next year!

With Love, your Lady Leafs