Neumann’s woman soccer exemplifies reverence on and off the field. Each individual, and our team treats each other and everyone else around us with the worth and dignity that they deserve. We define reverence as treating everyone as you would like to be treated, respecting everyone and celebrating their individuality and differences, and creating an environment that is welcoming, appreciative, and compassionate. Each year we welcome new comers to the team with open arms. Though it takes time to feel fully comfortable with everyone on the team, I believe that each of us makes it easy to transition into college life by having teammates, coaches, and chaplains supporting you.

I see God in every one of my teammates and coaches. Each member of our team is valued in their very own way because God has made all of us unique through our abilities and talents.  This sacredness provides us the opportunity to better one another.  Our ability to forgive and channel our hardships into motivation to work harder shows me that God is present in all of us. As a team, we pray before every game and pray to our lady of victory to help us come out with a win. Last years defeat in the playoff game against Immaculata left us all extremely upset, but instead of dwelling on our loss we chose to use this defeat as fuel to work harder and improve as a team to hopefully reach a better result this year.

I was privileged with the opportunity to have 13 years of catholic education. Through this I was able to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a child of God. Knowing that we are all made in the image and likeness of God, I learned that every single person no matter their differences deserves to be treated with respect and love. I believe that I, along with my team, show respect and love through our actions and the way that we treat other people and our opponents on the field.

When I step on the soccer field, I use it to escape from everything else. I have used the field as an outlet to disconnect from my troubles off the field and to connect and establish relationships on the field.  This is what makes our soccer field a sacred place. Though there are times when I struggle on the field, having my teammates by my side cheering me on encourages me to remember that I can overcome anything. I am beyond thankful to be apart of the woman’s soccer team here at Neumann and if I had not joined I would have been deprived of some of the best connections I have ever made.