Hokie ClubBeing a Division I student-athlete comes with so many perks.
No question!
But it's not always as glamorous as it appears.
With a rigorous schedule that leaves little time outside of athletics and the classroom, it's challenging not to get overwhelmed and stuck in a rut of the day-to-day grind.
I'm a sophomore here on the women's soccer team at Virginia Tech. What I love most about this university is they understand how easy it is for student-athletes to fall into that trap with the hectic schedule of balancing athletics and school.
The women's soccer program takes an international trip every four years to help break up the monotonous routine and give every girl the opportunity to see a new country and gain new experiences.
We recently got back from our trip to England.
I didn't really know what to expect, but I was excited for the chance to explore England and expand my knowledge and love for the game with my coaches and teammates.
Those ten days made more of an impact than I ever could've imagined.
In addition to all the sightseeing and working with Tottenham's pro team coaches, our team bond was strengthened in ways that never would have been possible without this trip.
We took off for England as a team, but we returned to Blacksburg as a family.
Building camaraderie
While ten days seem like a lengthy trip, it went by in a blur. Each day was packed with a variety of different activities that kept us plenty busy.
One of the most memorable days was when we did a community service project, cleaning up by one of the rivers.
We set out for the river in a canoe with groups of two. This was impactful because many of us were paired up with teammates we normally wouldn't be, so it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know each other on a deeper level.
By far my favorite moment on the entire trip happened when two of my teammates fell off their canoe and went into the river.
If you're wondering how it's possible to fall off a slow-paced and sturdy canoe, you can direct that question to my teammates and good friends, Lauren Hargrove and Lauren Gogal.
We exploded with laughter as a team – to the point our stomachs hurt from laughing – and it's something we'll probably be laughing about for the rest of our careers.
There's so much you can do to improve as a team on the field, but it's moments like this that happen off the field when you really come together to embrace each other and build that camaraderie.
Training with Tottenham
Once we were able to contain ourselves from laughing, we headed over to Tottenham to train with their coaching staff at their facility.
Having the opportunity to be a sponge and soak in all the knowledge from the Tottenham staff was incredible. One of my biggest takeaways was the differences between soccer in the ACC and United States compared to their style of play in England.
The Tottenham coaches, for example, incorporated a ball during dynamic warmups. Here in the US, we usually separate the dynamic warmup from the technical warmup.
Coaches also led multiple stations that focused on transition play, attacking the goal, and 1v1 defending — at Tech, we usually just focus on one or two main topics within our group each day.
Seeing these different types of training methods was interesting for our group as we enjoy learning from various coaching styles.
As we've gotten back home, we've been running some of these same drills we learned over there, which we're confident will give us a tactical advantage on the field.
That's why I'm grateful to be surrounded by a coaching staff at VT that is willing to learn from different strategies and styles from coaches across the world to bring out the best in our team.
Elevating our game
Despite all the touring, sightseeing, shopping, and fine dining, we weren't going to make the trip across the pond without getting some soccer games in.
We ended up playing two games against the under-21 teams for Tottenham and Liverpool. While we were victorious in both games, winning was far from our biggest takeaway.
It was such an amazing opportunity to play against girls from a different country with a style of play that we don't often see in the United States.
With the Tottenham team, in particular, they started the game by pressing and putting tons of pressure on us, so we had to quickly figure out how to break the press and force them to sit back.
Once we were able to break the press, then we had to adjust to their conservative formation on defense and find a way to continue to score goals with them sitting back.
I'm confident that adapting to their tactics and approaches to the game made us a better team going forward.
It was an honor to take the field with both Tottenham and Liverpool, and getting to interact with them on a personal level was an experience our team will never forget.
A lifelong bond
After visiting historic sites like Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, and touring world-class stadiums like the Wembley Stadium and Anfield (the home of Liverpool FC), I have a lifetime of memories to reflect and look back on with my teammates and coaches.
Growing up in a soccer family, it's a sport I've had a love and passion for throughout the entirety of my life, but I've only ever experienced it domestically in the United States.
When I watched Harry Kane earn a brace in a Tottenham victory against Nottingham Forest in front of over 60,000 people alongside my teammates and coaches, I was in complete awe.
I've never seen that many people attend a soccer game before, nor do I believe I've ever witnessed that many people so engaged in one of the most surreal atmospheres I've ever been part of.
Out of all the astonishing sights and opportunities we were able to take part in as a team, it's what we took back with us to Blacksburg that meant the most.
While there are different strategies and styles we learned that will give us an edge on the pitch for this spring season and next fall, it's what we learned about each other off the field that will carry us forward to where we want to go as a team.
You can have the most talented 11 players in the world on the field, but if you aren't pulling in the same direction and getting to know each other as individuals, there's a ceiling on what you're able to achieve as a team.
After the trip to England, I can say without hesitation that we know each other.
We love each other.
And we play for each other.
While life will inevitably take us on different paths in the coming years, we'll forever be connected and united by this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Gallery: (3-27-2023) WSOC: Trip to England