It was on a Thursday night that I met with Blair, Sheena, Taylor, and Kristen in the lobby of the student recreation center. Having never played soccer before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of our interview.

Blair Brannon, a junior at UNC Wilmington, is the captain of the girls’ club soccer team. She’s small and blonde and has the build and general look of a soccer player. I was interested to talk to her and the other captains about their club team, mostly because one of my roommates was going to start playing for them this season.

I sat in front of the four girls and started firing away questions. By the end of my interview, I had found myself intrigued at the idea of going to their games, which, according to their interview, is exactly the same attitude they want out of the rest of the student body.

Last semester, the girls’ club soccer team won five games, lost two, and tied one. Their tryouts were unbelievably competitive and by the looks of the four girls sitting in front of me, there was no question that they earned their spot on the team. Sixty girls tried out for the club last semester, and only twenty of those girls made the cut.

Taylor King is the veteran of the group. She is a tall, tanned, dark-haired senior who is now playing her fourth season on the club team. I didn’t recognize her as a soccer player when she first walked in because of how nicely dressed she was, but as soon as she started talking, her confident tone and affirmative answers left no doubt with that she was.

Sitting on either side of her was Sheena Suttlemyre, an athletic-looking curly haired sophomore, and Kristin Laughon, another senior whose bright long blonde hair made her look right at home at the Dub.

The four girls are most proud of their team camaraderie and the skill they’ve brought to the team from years of soccer. Not only do the girls get along with each other, but they have formed a strong relationship with the men’s club soccer team, who also practice on the same field as the women’s team.

Taylor mentioned that despite the fact that the mens’ team gets a larger field for practice, they all still get along really well. Blair told me that the two clubs often talk together in a group message, helping to set up times to play indoor together at the rec center.

Unlike the mens’ team, who mainly scrimmage during practice, the women’s club runs a variety of drills during their two-hour practices. The four girls were excited for the new season to begin, and since they’re now in a new division they’ll be playing more local teams, something they weren’t able to do last season.

Over the weekend, sixteen of the twenty girls on the team went to play Coastal Carolina and NC State, and the girls hope that more people will show up for their next home games. I for one will definitely be there; talking to the players and hearing about the team has given me more than enough reason to start showing these women some more support. We hope to see everyone who can make it next weekend!