NYU Athletics

Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team. She shared her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011-12 season.

Written May 9
 
I can’t believe it’s already over. The last day of classes are always bittersweet, no matter what part of the educational journey you are at. But, it just seems that my freshman year of college went by in a blink of an eye.

An immense weight was lifted off my shoulder after I completed the last math assignment (of my life) Monday morning. But, the realization that this past year went by so fast brought me back down from my natural high. So much has happened in so little time that the memories are starting to blur together. However, the one thing that is crystal clear is my soccer experience.

Rewind back to August…we’re all sitting in the Coles Conference Room for the first time as a team. I looked around the room and saw not only my teammates for the next season, but best friends, future bridesmaids and sisters for life. In the matter of only a few weeks, we had formed bonds that would normally take years to build.

During the past nine months, I’ve gained so much from my experiences both in the classroom and on the field. But, perhaps I’ve learned the greatest lessons from the friends, teammates and coaches whom I surround myself with. I’ve come to learn that it’s not what I go through that matters, but rather who I go through it with. The importance of good company is probably the most important thing that I’ve learned all my life. I don’t know whom I would rather be giggling with late at night about a mistake in practice, or whom I’d rather share my early Saturday mornings with, tired and hungry. Each and every girl on the team is a sister whom I can rely on for even the most far-reaching tasks, ranging from covering my shift at work to helping me put my shoes on when I got out of surgery (shout out to Cami and Phebe for being my awesome support system post –op).

It’s a bittersweet ending, and even though some of us will be separated by thousands of miles, most of us will only be a phone call or text message away. I’m sad to leave all my teammates for just a few shorts months because I’ve had such a tremendous time here. But,  I’m excited to wrap up my first year and head into next season stronger with them by my side.




Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team.

Written March 27
 
Time. It’s one thing I can never get enough of nowadays, and I’m sure many of my teammates would agree. During the academic year I wish I had more time to sleep, watch movies with Channing Tatum and explore the crazy city that I’m in. But hey, I can’t complain. I’m living the dream. It’s crazy to think that time has passed by so quickly and we (the freshman class) are already a quarter done with our college career. And, although it was only a few weeks ago, during Winter Break, when I would sit around counting the seconds that went by (waiting to get back to New York) I really am glad that my time is completely consumed. 
 
As I mentioned in my previous post, the off-season (from January to March) is truly unique, allowing for us to take more time focusing on our studies, while soccer, in terms of time spent with the team, is more or less minimized. I decided to experiment a little bit with time and add in another sport (Club Water Polo – which I know nothing about) and take a full 18 credits. Now with soccer back in full swing, I’m sure I will be spending my spare time napping on the Cole’s couches or eating a bagel from my favorite deli, NoHo.
 
On Sunday, we began our official spring season with Michele and our two assistants, Jen and Jessie. After a quick team meeting where we discussed our spring goals and program objectives, we jumped in the vans and headed to Staten Island for practice. Unlike most college soccer teams, we lack a regular home field, so as a group we’ve learned to adapt to the long van rides spent commuting to practices and games. It really is a blessing in disguise, because it allows us to catch up and take a breath from everything going on around us. It’s the perfect bonding time, and I’m sure if you even just spent one trip with us you’d be intrigued by our conversations concerning everything from skiing accidents to split pea soup.
 
Practice was all I could hope for and more. The moment Michele told us we would be focusing on attacking movement, our entire team got excited and pumped - and trust me I could totally tell from the strength of the shots I was receiving on the other end. Everybody had a spring in their step, and although our touches may have been a tad off and our movement a bit lacking, the two hours passed in what seemed to be 15 minutes. 
 
Time, once again, played an evil trick on me.  




Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team.

Written February 20
 
I never really understood how valuable off-season was until very recently. I used to be one of those players who lived for the long bus rides to games, weekly video sessions, and of course, the 90-minute battles on the field (must be the competitor in me).
 
In high school, I resented off-season because it usually meant cross training and time spent away from teammates. But, at NYU, it’s a little bit different. I’ve found that the off-season is not only a time to heal our nagging injuries, but also a time to heal our souls, rekindle friendships with teammates and reach out to the community that supports us so much.
 
As soon as we returned from our long winter break, we resumed practices a few times a week with our captains and our strength & conditioning coach, Dea. Coming from Southern California, I was blessed with beautiful weather year round and never played indoor soccer. So, it was definitely an interesting experience playing on the hardwood floors. Although I’ve taken a few spills (actually a lot), I’ve learned that it’s a great way to improve my touch and speed of play. Our captains have been doing a terrific job running practices, and keeping us in shape for our Spring Season with Michele later in March. We all have one goal in mind: making the NCAA Tournament. And, it’s great to be part of a community that’s working so hard to make that come true.
 
Another great thing about the off-season is the opportunities to give back to the community. During the season we are always super busy on the weekends so it’s a bit difficult to make time. But, it’s definitely become a priority for NYU soccer this semester. I definitely take pride in belonging to a team that is invested in giving back to the community as much as we are invested in being top students and athletes. Last weekend, we awoke super early (for college standards) and endured snow and wind on the Hudson River to help set up and run a 5K race for charity.  The next day, Erin Ahmed and I began volunteering at Special Olympics (which will run through the end of the year) at Coles.  It is truly a rewarding experience working with Special Olympics, and it made me realize how sport is truly an experience that can be shared by all.  The first weekend I worked with a group of blind people with disabilities, and I cannot even begin to explain how excited they were to even hold a basketball in their hands. It brought a smile to my exhausted looking face.
 
As Michele has told us many times, “when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too” (quoting Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist). This holds true for the off-season. Not only are we preparing ourselves as individuals for next season, but we are also pushing ourselves as a team; as it is the ultimate champion.



Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team. She shared her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.

Written November 30

I sit here at my computer, sitting on a Coles couch, and am at a loss for words. No single phrase or expression could summarize our season, define our team or describe the journey we embarked on this year. From the day I arrived at NYU four months ago to now, I cannot even begin to describe the adventure that has been NYU women’s soccer. It is a one-of-a-kind experience to be part of a program like ours at NYU, and for me to say I’ve figured out how to describe the past few months would be a blatant lie.
 
Before I describe the season, it is important to know a little bit about me. Soccer is my life, from getting up at obscure hours to watch the Women’s World Cup to pushing my body to its physical and mental limits to playing pick-up on freshly cut grass, there is no other thing I would rather do with my time. The soccer field is my home away from home, where I am most alive. So when I was offered the opportunity to play for the NYU women’s soccer program, I dove at it (excuse the crude goalie humor).
 
This season was more than I could ask for. As a freshman coming in, I had no idea what to expect. Playing college soccer was my dream for years, but I was having nightmares days before coming to the city, worrying that I wouldn’t be good enough. My worries were soon at ease, as I found my place on the field. The turf burns found their place again on the sides of my thighs and elbows and the black and blue bruises came as soon as I hit the ground.  I was home before I knew it, this time with 23 new sisters.
 
Each morning around 10:30, a group of ponytail-clad-sweatshirt wearing-bruise-bearing-girls stroll down the streets of Manhattan towards Coles getting quizzical looks from strangers. We accepted these confused stares as a challenge, a challenge to prove ourselves, a challenge to educate those about our program. Unlike other college soccer teams, we struggled to fill stands with fans, but that did not stop us. When the whistle blew, we would look at each other and know that each and every one of us would be fighting the whole 90 minutes. With our sisters by our sides, anything was possible.
 
With 14 wins (an NYU record), just six losses and an ECAC Championship (the first time in 10 years), I would have to say that this season has been more than a success. Chosen to be last in the UAA in our preseason poll, we proved our contenders wrong and came out firing, earning a #4 NCAA ranking in the Eastern Region. Although it was a disappointment not to be chosen for the NCAA Tournament, a positive arises from the situation. There is now a hunger in the pits of our stomachs to prove the NCAA wrong, to prove that we belong and that we can compete.
 
We’ve accepted the challenge. We’re ready and coming out hard. 
 
Watch out!




Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team. She will share her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.

Written November 5

It was a year and a half ago that I tore my ACL and had surgery on my left knee. It was a year ago today that I took my official visit and decided to come to NYU. It was four months ago when I graduated high school and began playing again. It was less than 13 weeks ago that our team came together and had our first practice. It’s hard to believe that the regular season is over and our fate lies in the hands of NCAA officials now. It seemed like it happened in the blink of an eye.
 
After practice one day, Michele brought us together to talk to us about our progress as a team and then had individual meetings with us. She seldom brings up stats, polls, or any sort of subjective ranking system, as it is a distraction and unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. But, that day she wanted to remind us of what we had accomplished in such a short period of time. Not only have we grown as individuals, learning different styles of play and adapting to new routines, but we have also grown as a team, which is the ultimate champion. It’s amazing to be part of such a unique program where each and every single one of us wants to win and where everybody is so supportive of each other.
 
For those of you who couldn’t catch the games the past few weekends, here’s a quick recap. Last week we took a little jaunt over to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and Emory in Atlanta. We won the CMU game in the final minutes, which was extremely exciting and got us pumped for the Emory game.  We headed to Atlanta, hungry for another win. The rankings, stats and previous scores did not matter to us; we just wanted to beat them. Although the outcome was not what we wanted, we played with so much heart and passion and learned from our mistakes we made during that game. Anybody that knows me well knows that I hate losing more than anything, but for some reason after that game I found myself smiling and proud of my sisters on the field. We took a really good team into OT and proved to ourselves that we could hang with the big dogs.
 
This weekend in Boston, we played Brandeis, our last UAA opponent and last opponent in the regular season.  We battled it out and Erin Ahmed scored a beautiful goal right over the goalkeeper’s head with just six minutes to go.  The last few minutes of regulation seemed like eternity, with Brandeis taking four corners in the last three minutes – talk about stressful – but we fought as a team.
 
We’ve fought the whole season, and we’re ready to fight for more.




Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team. She will share her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.

Written October 12

A wise teammate once told me “Adversity comes into our lives for the sole purpose of overcoming it.” For each and every one of us on the team, it bears a different meaning explicating from a variety of experiences and backgrounds. Some of us have trouble transitioning in between class and soccer, while others sometimes engage in negative self-talk during sessions and games. Over the course of the past few weeks, Michele, Nicole and Dr. Fish (our sports psychologist) have helped us in overcoming these obstacles both on and off the field.
 
Take for example the Manhattanville College game back in late September. The screeching of my alarm at 7:30 am woke me up for my 8 am Cultures and Contexts recitation. As soon as I got back from class, I joined my basketball friends for our routine “Friday” breakfast and proceeded to engulf my egg white omelet and bagel (a personal pre-game favorite of mine).
It was simply a typical Friday for me; everything seemed to be going according to plan. I jumped on the bus (Jamba smoothie in hand of course) and proceeded to turn my iPod on to some pump up tunes. Everybody was getting into her game mode, but as we approached 181^st Street, something didn’t seem quite right. We kept seeing the same storefronts and signs for what seemed like eternity, until we realized that we were going in circles.  Our bus driver had failed to calculate the proper route and we got temporarily lost - but not to worry, we were soon on our way. 
 
As per New York City traffic standards, we had allowed time in our schedule for this minor setback, but what we didn’t prepare for in our schedule was inches more of rain, an extra hour of traffic, and a sticky situation.

As we approached Manhattanville, we took another wrong turn and somehow the bus found its way in a messy pit of mud. Numerous calls ensued and we arranged for a team of staff members to retrieve our starting 11 for the game. By this time, our game was post-phoned by an hour and we were getting nervous. Just picture 11 girls in black, hooded coats, standing in the middle of a rural road at 9 pm in the middle of the pouring rain. We were quite the sight, if I may say so myself.
           
A cute little Toyota Camry came to pick us up 15 minutes later. After a very uncomfortable yet memorable car ride over to the fields, we had a little less than 10 minutes to warm up. For me, it usually takes about 10 minutes just to get my legs warm and stretched out. Ten minutes flew by on the clock and before we knew it, we were starting our game. Luckily for us, our training among distractions and disruptions had helped us. And, in the 17^th minute, Serra scored. Four strong finishes later and we were back on the bus.
 
Our team has had to adjust to difficulties on and off the road, deal with field space, transportation, and weather; things that a lot of other teams haven’t had to think about. If anything, it has helped us in overcoming greater aspects of the game such as remaining calm under pressure and coming back from a deficit. These are the changes that we haven’t quite gotten used to yet, but are making us stronger each and every day. This is why we train the hardest, prepare for the worst, and play to be the best.
 



Meg Patten is a freshman on the NYU women's soccer team. She will share her thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.

Written September 20

Sometimes, it just doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if I forgot to text my boyfriend or if my socks aren’t matching. It doesn’t matter if I’m starting or not. It doesn’t matter if we have 500 fans or just one. It simply does not matter.
 
The reason it doesn’t matter is because every time we step out onto the field, we are
prepared tactically, technically, physically, but most important mentally. The reason it does not matter is because we are who we train to be, who we think we are,
 
Michelle utters a single word, “One!” (No pun intended). We respond simultaneously
with two distinct claps. “One!” Another set of claps ensue, this time more in sync and
louder. A final “One!” We clap of our hands, this time in complete unison, we grow silent but excited. The sound of our hands clapping together, amid the hustle and bustle of the city, somehow helps us focus on the present. It’s just one of many mental exercises that help us prepare for whatever obstacles lay before us in either training or before games.
 
Wake up, brush my teeth, braid my hair, one swipe of mascara, bag packed, matching jerseys, right cleat, left cleat, purple hair bow in place, Jamba smoothie, and iPod
blaring. I’m ready to go. My mental pregame checklist might as well be as important as the game itself. It’s what gets me in “game mode.” I spent this past week reflecting, and I came to the realization that our preparation as a team, our mental checklist, is just as important as the moment the referee blows his whistle.
 
I never put that much thought into the mental aspect and preparation of soccer. But, since coming to NYU, it has become a huge part of my routine as a student and athlete.