Sports > October 2, 2008

By Chris Tumminello | Staff writer

Four years ago the Women’s Club Soccer team was almost nonexistent. Constant scheduling conflicts and the absence of a full roster on a weekly basis held the team back from competing.

At the time, current co-presidents Cassie Coggeshall and Katie Krick were only freshman, but they were determined to improve the program.

To assure competition, the team became a member of the North Carolina Women’s Club Soccer League (NCWCSL), which consists of opponents like UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, N.C. State and Elon.

Since becoming a part of the NCWCSL, players have embraced the responsibility that comes along with participating at such a high level of competition, and, as a result, the turnout has increased tremendously.

The current roster of 28 players was cut down from 55 players through tryouts and consists of 13 players from last year’s squad. All members of the team practice two times a week and participate in an optional endurance workout during the middle of the week.

Not surprisingly, the strong level of commitment creates high expectations, but it also provides an opportunity to just have a good time.

“We have so many talented freshman this year, and so it is our goal to do really well in our league this season as well as in the tournaments,” Coggeshall said.

The team is preparing hard for their upcoming tournament at Virginia Tech, which is expected to be highly competitive.

But beyond competition, the girls have learned to bond often through volunteer activities.

The team finished fourth in the Open Division of the Hit the Bricks fundraiser on Sept. 25 and plan on helping out during the 3-on-3 tournaments next weekend and working at Campus Kitchen.

“We always just have a lot of fun,” Coggeshall said.

The increase in the validity, popularity and camaraderie of the program is an absolute delight for Co-President Coggeshall.

“I am just glad that the girls can have a program where they can still play soccer at the quality level they are used to from their high school club teams without having to play at the Varsity level,” Coggeshall said.