Soccer

2009 EMERSON COLLEGE WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM

The Women's Soccer program at Emerson College emphasizes an attractive, possession oriented style of soccer, combined with a solid and consistent work-rate. The program expects high standards of behavior on and off the field and demands that all players strive to excel in their academics and work hard to be model individuals.  All members of the team are expected to conduct themselves with class and pride at all times.

The coaching staff wants players who feel that soccer and the program are important to them.

"Character is Destiny. Our achievements are shaped by the terrain of our lives and the strength of the foundations we set. In building the life we've imagined, we must be true to our beliefs, dare to be ethical, and strive to be honorable. For integrity is the highest ground to which we can aspire."

Players who play for the Emerson Women's Soccer Team are taught and expected to excel in the following key aspects of the game:

• Technical: Superior individual skill to succeed at the college level
• Tactical: Reading the game, and improving strategic knowledge and on-field decision making
• Physical: focusing on an optimum fitness level of all players…aerobically and anaerobically
• Psychological: a strong contagious competitive attitude, willingness to go the extra mile, mental toughness, and team cohesion and togetherness.  “Battle and do whatever it takes”
• Selfless, not Selfish Approach: A “Team before I” approach.  No one is more important than the team. "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

EMERSON WOMEN’s SOCCER FAQ's AND INFORMATION

Frequently asked questions on all subjects concerning admissions, qualifications for the team, tryouts, and related areas of concern.

Is soccer a year-round commitment at Emerson?

Yes. Our fall season runs from camp in late August and we hope into the middle of November. The players then generally take a recuperation break to concentrate on other things (academics, rest, etc). When classes resume after Christmas break, we get back together and start our off-season training.  The returning players play indoor soccer on their own as a team at local private indoor soccer complexes, participate in college indoor tournaments, including our own that we host as a fund-raiser, and participate in spring pick-up games at our home field.  They also get together twice a week at our new gymnasium to play futsal and do some fitness training.  Weight training, although not a priority, can be done on your own once the traditional fall season ends.  We also emphasize “core training” exercises as well during the off season to help avoid injuries during the fall. 

How does team selection take place? How competitive is it? When does preseason start?

Pre-season tryouts and roster selection begins the week before the main body of freshmen arrive for the first semester, usually the last week of August.  All incoming freshmen are housed on campus during preseason, usually in the dorm room they will be permanently in during the school year.  Several returning players stay in their off campus apartments during preseason. 

Returning players, invited new players, and students from Massachusetts College of  Art and Berkley College of Music (usually around 35-50 women total), compete for a spot on the roster. Roster size ranges from 21-25.  By the time of class registration, we will have selected our team and  the players can adjust their schedules accordingly for the fall practices and games. The work during preseason is intense, with at least a week of double sessions, in preparation for our season.

Competition for a spot on the team is strong every year.  No returning players are guaranteed a spot on the team.  The Coaching Staff actively recruits players from across the country to push all the returning players for their spot on the team. We believe in the philosophy The Emerson Women’s Soccer Program does not REBUILD every year…we RETOOL.

Once the season starts, playing time is EARNED not GIVEN to any player.    

Current program policy allows women who are cut in the fall to participate in spring training for the chance to earn a second look in the following August training camp. Several players have been successful in this route over the years.

How do I get an invitation to the preseason tryouts?

We try to give every player we can an opportunity to tryout for the Women’s Team. Space is not completely unlimited, however. For selection purposes, and so that we can know as much about you as possible before we begin evaluation, I request that you send me a soccer resume or a detailed history of your soccer background.

How often does the team practice? How do I fit in my academics? How far do you travel?

You are attending Emerson College to take full advantage of its outstanding education and to become an educated, thoughtful, and useful citizen. Your experience as a college athlete and the important lessons you learn about yourself and your peers are a huge part of these goals. Accordingly, we will never allow any part of your learning experience to corrupt another.

We practice 5-6 days a week, from 7-8:30PM at The Field at Rotch Playground, our home field.  As a rule, the team has Sundays off.  Because our home field is a 5 minute drive off campus in South Boston, our team travels together in vans to practice and games.  We also take vans (occasionally a bus) to road games.  The furthest we travel is approximately 4 hours away from Boston.  We play an 18 game schedule and 2 preseason games.  We compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with 13 other teams (Johnson and Wales, St. Joseph’s of CT and ME,  Lasell, Mount Ida, Emmanuel, Rivier, Albertus Magnus, Simmons, Southern Vermont, Suffolk, Daniel Webster, and Norwich).  The top eight teams advance to tournament play, and the winner of the GNAC Tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

We expect a complete and total commitment from our players, and expect them to work as hard on the field as they do in the classroom. The Coaching Staff will always be available to advise, aid, and provide assistance to all our players to help them budget their time well, so that they are great students AND athletes.

In general, we have found that the experience that many student-athletes have had during their high school years, namely that they perform better academically during the season than during the off season, continues through their college years.