SE: K-State Soccer Connected with and Learning from USWNT in World Cup
Jul 05, 2019 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
On the surface, it appeared like any other watch party. Really, it was more than that.
The K-State women's soccer team gathered in the Steel and Pipe Team Theatre at the Vanier Family Football Complex to take in the World Cup semifinal match between the United States and England on Tuesday. The viewing had all one might expect.
There were loud cheers at the two U.S. goals and Alyssa Naeher's clutch penalty kick save to help seal the 2-1 win. There were gasps when England scored or came close and a few "Surrender Cobra" poses during replay reviews. There was even some friendly banter, via a group text, with K-State sophomore forward and England native Chloe Fisher, cheering back in her home country, throughout the match.
Beneath all of that, however, was a connection to what was going on. Beyond cheering for their favorite players and their country, the Wildcats were rooting for people from their home states or even their club teams.
Mallory Pugh and Lindsey Horan, for instance, both hail from Colorado, as do K-State's Bailey Nemechek and Riley Dietrich.
Christen Press, who scored the USWNT's first goal against England, came up through the California-based FC Slammers club, as did three Wildcats: Aly Rocha, Mikayla Edwards and Rachel Harris.
"When I played for Slammers, all they talked about was her," Harris said of Press. "It's really cool just to know she came from our club."
Even cooler? Meeting one of the USWNT players.
In 2017, K-State's players got the chance to meet Adrianna Franch, a Salina native and the USWNT's backup goalkeeper in this World Cup.
K-State head coach Mike Dibbini, whose coaching roots started in Salina, has known Franch since her younger days, when he was the director of coaching for her club team. Dibbini reached out to Franch, playing for the Portland Timbers, when his program started its second season at Oregon State and Oregon two years ago.
Franch came out and had dinner with the Wildcats. The experience left a lasting impression.
"I remember just realizing how normal she was," Laramie Hall said. "Obviously people, like, idolize those players, and that's great to think they're awesome, but to just see her and see she's normal, she's living a normal life, and she's doing the things that we have done. She went to Oklahoma State, so she was in the Big 12. Just seeing her life be super similar to ours, before she was (on the USWNT), seeing her consistently work and now she's at that level, you realize it doesn't take someone being born somewhere insane with a ton of money to do it. It's just normal people that work hard and get opportunities. That was encouraging for me."
The Wildcats also watch these games in a way an average fan would not. They intently take in the action, making mental notes as the game unfolded.
"I'm a goalkeeper myself and I try to learn from that," Harris said. "I go back through and watch the goals that are being scored. It's nice to break it down and apply it to your game."
"I'm getting ideas, getting new strategies," Katie Cramer added. "It just helps as a student of the game."
Hall agreed.
"Just getting confidence from them, too," she said. "Watching their outside backs not be afraid to pull it back and play back. They're not forcing it every time. Just seeing the different ideas, especially for my position, is super helpful."
More specifically, Hall said she even watches her favorite player, Crystal Dunn, like she's scouting her for ways to improve.
"She's an outside back (like me). I don't want to say we're similar because she's phenomenal, but we have similar styles of play," Hall said. "She's a great (one-on-one) defender, and I aspire to be like that. She's quick. Her skillset, the main one, isn't technical ability and neither is mine, so I like watching how she maneuvers using different assets that a lot of other people don't have."
As the United States looks to win its second-straight World Cup when it faces the Netherlands on Sunday at 10 a.m., the Wildcats will be feeding off of it. The anticipation for their own season, which starts at Creighton on August 23, will build even more.
"Watching soccer makes me want to go out and play right now, right here. I can't wait to get out there and compete. Just that feeling of competition gets me so excited and my adrenaline pumping," Cramer said. "I can honestly visualize myself playing just by watching those games, and I think that helps me as a player a lot, just having that visualization of things that I want to do and things I can do different to be better."
"I'm excited to go out there with our team and have the same bond that (the USWNT) team has," Hall added. "I'm pumped to get to go do it, because watching people compete makes you want to compete, especially being (my) last season. It just makes me all that more excited to make every moment count and compete."
On the surface, it appeared like any other watch party. Really, it was more than that.
The K-State women's soccer team gathered in the Steel and Pipe Team Theatre at the Vanier Family Football Complex to take in the World Cup semifinal match between the United States and England on Tuesday. The viewing had all one might expect.
There were loud cheers at the two U.S. goals and Alyssa Naeher's clutch penalty kick save to help seal the 2-1 win. There were gasps when England scored or came close and a few "Surrender Cobra" poses during replay reviews. There was even some friendly banter, via a group text, with K-State sophomore forward and England native Chloe Fisher, cheering back in her home country, throughout the match.
Beneath all of that, however, was a connection to what was going on. Beyond cheering for their favorite players and their country, the Wildcats were rooting for people from their home states or even their club teams.
Mallory Pugh and Lindsey Horan, for instance, both hail from Colorado, as do K-State's Bailey Nemechek and Riley Dietrich.
Christen Press, who scored the USWNT's first goal against England, came up through the California-based FC Slammers club, as did three Wildcats: Aly Rocha, Mikayla Edwards and Rachel Harris.
"When I played for Slammers, all they talked about was her," Harris said of Press. "It's really cool just to know she came from our club."
Even cooler? Meeting one of the USWNT players.
In 2017, K-State's players got the chance to meet Adrianna Franch, a Salina native and the USWNT's backup goalkeeper in this World Cup.
K-State head coach Mike Dibbini, whose coaching roots started in Salina, has known Franch since her younger days, when he was the director of coaching for her club team. Dibbini reached out to Franch, playing for the Portland Timbers, when his program started its second season at Oregon State and Oregon two years ago.
Franch came out and had dinner with the Wildcats. The experience left a lasting impression.
"I remember just realizing how normal she was," Laramie Hall said. "Obviously people, like, idolize those players, and that's great to think they're awesome, but to just see her and see she's normal, she's living a normal life, and she's doing the things that we have done. She went to Oklahoma State, so she was in the Big 12. Just seeing her life be super similar to ours, before she was (on the USWNT), seeing her consistently work and now she's at that level, you realize it doesn't take someone being born somewhere insane with a ton of money to do it. It's just normal people that work hard and get opportunities. That was encouraging for me."
The Wildcats also watch these games in a way an average fan would not. They intently take in the action, making mental notes as the game unfolded.
"I'm a goalkeeper myself and I try to learn from that," Harris said. "I go back through and watch the goals that are being scored. It's nice to break it down and apply it to your game."
"I'm getting ideas, getting new strategies," Katie Cramer added. "It just helps as a student of the game."
Hall agreed.
"Just getting confidence from them, too," she said. "Watching their outside backs not be afraid to pull it back and play back. They're not forcing it every time. Just seeing the different ideas, especially for my position, is super helpful."
More specifically, Hall said she even watches her favorite player, Crystal Dunn, like she's scouting her for ways to improve.
"She's an outside back (like me). I don't want to say we're similar because she's phenomenal, but we have similar styles of play," Hall said. "She's a great (one-on-one) defender, and I aspire to be like that. She's quick. Her skillset, the main one, isn't technical ability and neither is mine, so I like watching how she maneuvers using different assets that a lot of other people don't have."
As the United States looks to win its second-straight World Cup when it faces the Netherlands on Sunday at 10 a.m., the Wildcats will be feeding off of it. The anticipation for their own season, which starts at Creighton on August 23, will build even more.
"Watching soccer makes me want to go out and play right now, right here. I can't wait to get out there and compete. Just that feeling of competition gets me so excited and my adrenaline pumping," Cramer said. "I can honestly visualize myself playing just by watching those games, and I think that helps me as a player a lot, just having that visualization of things that I want to do and things I can do different to be better."
"I'm excited to go out there with our team and have the same bond that (the USWNT) team has," Hall added. "I'm pumped to get to go do it, because watching people compete makes you want to compete, especially being (my) last season. It just makes me all that more excited to make every moment count and compete."
Players Mentioned
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