On Sunday, Sept. 22, Kristen Stacey ’16, of Ithaca, New York, scored the winning goal against Carroll University to secure a 1-0 victory for the Grinnell women’s soccer team. Stacey made the shot in the 38th minute, bringing her season total to three. Grinnell improved to 2-1 in the Midwest Conference and 5-3 overall. The team’s next match is a home game against Beloit College this Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m.
When did you first start playing soccer?
For as long as I can remember. It was the first sport I learned to play. My dad ran cross country, so my parents got me involved in sports at an early age.
What do you think soccer has taught you in life?
It’s taught me the benefits of working in a team and how to work together to reach a common goal. In this team, we all give equally, and we learn to hold our roles on this team.
How did it feel to score the winning goal against Carroll College?
I guess mostly shock. There’s a video clip of me scoring the goal, and I wasn’t facing the right direction [laughs]. The ball kind of tipped into the goal, so it was really surprising. It’s funny because last year against Carroll, we had a free kick as our winning goal, so it was kind of fitting that we would win against Carroll with another weird goal.
What do you hope to accomplish this season?
I hope we get to win against Lake Forest. Last year we lost against them in Conference, and it would be great this year to get to Conference and finally win against them.
What’s your favorite part of being on the team?
Definitely being with the players that I’m with. We have an amazing team; everyone is just really connected. In high school teams, a lot of players tend to be very clique-y and you don’t end up being friends with everyone on the team. But that’s not the case with this team; everyone is really close this year.
What do you think you and the team will be doing differently in your next game?
We’re working on staying strong during the first half of the game. We grow more confident in our match as the game progresses, but the first 10 minutes of the game is always really important to stay focused in.
Your next game is a home game. Do you ever feel that you play better at home games?
There is definitely a different atmosphere, because we all have the mentality that we have to win our home games. During games where we have to travel, it’s hard to change your mindset to be focused on the field when you’ve been traveling on a bus for a while. I think that home games are definitely an advantage for us.
What is your funniest soccer memory?
Last year, a goal was about to be scored by the opposing team. It was very frantic in our box and our goalkeeper was down. Our captain last year, Kathryn Vincent [’13], was the closest to the ball when it managed to roll into the net. So she physically stuck her hand into the goal and grabbed the ball out with her hand. The ref didn’t see the incident with all the commotion so he never called it. Though the goal was never counted, a few players on our team saw it all happen.
What other activities do you do in Grinnell?
I’m a co-leader of the volunteer group Poweshiek Animal League Shelter. We volunteer at the local animal shelter and work with dogs and cats. I also work in the Dining Hall during off-season practice.
What advice would you give to student athletes who have trouble balancing athletics, academics and extra-curricular activities?
Get an organized schedule down. My day runs from going to classes, to working on homework, to going to practice, and then continuing to work on my academic work, but I still manage to get my 8 hours of sleep every single night. It’s definitely important to manage your time and not be as tempted to join activities that you can’t really balance because of your sport.