Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – As Virginia Tech Spring 2019 Commencement approaches, it's a good time to revisit with the Tech women's soccer players who finished off their careers with the Hokies last fall. In a final "Senior Sendoff" Q&A, each departing player answered a number of questions about both their academic and athletic time here at Tech.
Starting us off is former goalkeeper Zoe Foxhall.
Q: Zoe, what will you be earning your degree in?
ZF: "Civil Engineering"
Q: Why did you pursue this educational path?
ZF: "My grandfather built bridges and my brother is a civil engineer. The field also fits my talents in both math and design the best out of all the fields of engineering."
Q: Are you walking in May?
ZF: "I am walking in December as I have two classes left to take."
Q: What are your future plans?
ZF: "After college I hope to work in the transportation section either for a private or public company. If I feel like the work isn't too time consuming after hours, I would like to coach as well. This summer, I will be interning for the second time, but this time with a company called J2 engineering. I will be the transportation intern."
Q: Outside of playing soccer, what was impactful in your educational process and why?
ZF: "My educational process was really pushed by getting an internship last year. I have not always had the confidence in the classroom since pursuing civil (engineering), but working and experiencing the "real deal" proved to me that I actually know more than I think I do. I came back into senior year feeling more confident in my future after college."
Q: What will earning your degree from Virginia Tech mean to you?
ZF: "Receiving my degree from Virginia Tech will be a proud moment for me. It will be a culture and pride that I can take with me wherever I go. I will have people around me that know where I came from and hopefully get to show others what this university and Blacksburg is all about."
Q: What was your favorite memory during your time here with VTWS?
ZF: "One of my favorite memories was beating Texas this year in the first round of the NCAA Championship. We hadn't made the tournament since my freshman year and Texas hadn't lost at home in a ridiculous amount of time. It was the start of a great few weeks and we got to go somewhere I had never been on a cool tie-dye plane."
Q: What will you miss most about being on the VTWS team?
ZF: "I'll miss goalkeeper sessions with my other keepers and Matt (Gwilliam, assistant coach). We are all oddballs in our own way and our training sessions were a fun time. We laughed through a lot of it (outside of the serious training) and had a good environment to be in."
Q: What advice would you give to the underclassmen or the newest recruits coming into the program?
ZF: "My advice would be to embrace the situation you're put in and understand that there are highs and lows. The hardest thing people experience coming in is having to reestablish who you are as a player and work for what you are given. You have your teammates to fall back on and you can do whatever is thrown your way."
Q: What was the most impactful thing to you, with being a part of this program?
ZF: "Our athletic training staff was super helpful through injuries and looking out for your best interests. I spent a decent chunk of time in the training room and without Freddy (Purnel, sports medicine) and the other trainers in my four years, I would have struggled to get back on the field each time. The academic support was also impactful to me. Nick (Vaccaro, assistant director, student-athlete academic support services) was always a person to talk to about soccer, school, or anything you needed. He helped me reach out to the people that would help me be successful and I can't thank him enough for that."
* Jen Boyles answered a few questions back in December, when she finished off her course work at Tech - click here to see hers.