August 18, 2009
ALYSSA MATHESON: BUILDING A FOUNDATION
SEASIDE, Calif. – Cal State Monterey Bay forward Alyssa Matheson and the Otter women’s soccer team began two-a-days last week with high enthusiasm.
Matheson transferred from Santiago Canyon Junior College last year and made her impact on the team quickly by leading the team with 16 points and seven goals.
Soccer runs in the Matheson family as younger sister, Lauren, will be a freshman on the Santa Clara women’s soccer team this year.
The All-CCAA second team selection recently sat down to discuss her outlook on this year’s team and her future.
You are starting your senior year with a new head coach, how has preseason been different from last year?
It has only been the first week of training in preseason but I think so far this year we have a little spark in our step. All of the returners want to bounce back from last year and we want to show everyone what we are really made of. Coach Artie, Guido, and Nate are great additions to our team and they push us every day to reach our full potential for this season. We also have a great group of girls coming in that have already shown that they can fit in perfectly with us.
You open the season against the former national champion, Seattle Pacific, on Aug. 27. How is the team feeling about this challenge?
I think I speak for the entire team when I say that we are PUMPED! Not only are we excited for season to just start already, but to open up the season with a game against the number one team is just one of the many challenges we are going to come up against this season. We are determined and willing to put in the effort to work hard everyday to make sure we are ready to come out of that weekend in Seattle with a few victories.
What goals has the women’s team set this year?
With our new coaching staff and huge recruiting class we have coming in, this season is definitely going to be different from previous years. We plan on setting the bar for future CSUMB women's soccer teams by leaving a foundation and a standard for these girls to continue to build up. We aren't the same team that we were last year, nor will this team ever be the same next year when our six seniors graduate, which is why we are going to put everything we have into this season and leave our mark on CSUMB in 2009 by getting some "W's" on the board.
What advice would you give to incoming freshman or transfers?
I would just tell them to do their thing and to play every second that they are given on the field like it was the last seconds they will ever get to play. Our coaches will train us and supply us with the tools needed to be successful and our job is to use those tools and get a result out of it. Each and every one of them is a part of our family and each of them play a huge role on our team. The way I look at it, we have all been playing this game since we were 5 and 6 years old and the game hasn't changed since then. I just hope that they take their opportunity here at CSUMB and make the most of it and enjoy it while they can because it's what they have always loved to do since they first started playing.
What made you choose CSUMB?
I chose CSUMB because of the experience I had during my recruiting trip. I was still deciding whether I even wanted to transfer to continue playing soccer at a four-year school and when I came to tryout here all of the girls were very welcoming and friendly to me, even though I was a little shy, but they were very inclusive and showed me a great time for the time that I was here. The one thing that hooked me though wasn't just how they played the game, but it was why they played. Even from the simple drills to the scrimmages, every second that they were together and playing soccer, they were enjoying themselves and just loved playing soccer. They reminded me that I can still work hard and have a great time doing it all at the same time. I hadn't seen this in a team in a long time and I just knew that I wanted to finish my two years of eligibility in this kind of environment.
What are your plans after graduation?
After I graduate I am planning on getting back into coaching, I loved being able to coach for the past two years and I already miss it. I also am planning on going to graduate school and hopefully getting an internship or a job with a physical therapy clinic so that I can start getting some experience under my belt to someday open up my own practice.
