We fell in love around the age of 12. We’d been together since I was 4, but I was too young to truly appreciate you, and oftentimes you just felt like a burden to me. It all began on a grass field about the size of my bedroom. My dad was my coach, and I was wearing those shinguards that came inside of the socks. We used a size 3 ball, and you’d always know where it was because that’s where all 6 of us would be too. Looking back now, I would give anything to tell that little pig-tailed girl to enjoy every possible minute, because before she knows it, these days will pass like they never even happened.

As time went on, the game got more intense. It wasn’t just about the enjoyment of the game anymore, because winning was starting to get really important. Talent levels were continuing to separate, and the ones who were really committed to this game went on to play for club teams, select teams, and even Olympic Development teams. Soccer began to take over my life, but in my reminiscing I realize that I loved every single minute of it. At the prime of my athletic career, I never had a weekend to spare. The game took me all the way from Pennsylvania, to Florida, Arizona, Las Vegas, even to Hawaii. I’ve traveled the country playing this game, and there’s no other way I’d rather see the USA. Every hotel stay is intermingled with tournament championships, dislocated collarbones and ACL tears, and most importantly with the absolute best memories.

The main contributor to this sport becoming the love of my life was my team. For example, I’d been a part of my club team since I was ten, and four of us made it all the way to U-18. These girls were everything to me. We didn’t all go to the same school, so getting to see each other twice a week was most definitely the highlight. We spent our preteen years chasing around boys in hotels, but most importantly we were freaking good. At 13 we were winning tournaments left and right, missing middle school dances and the class trip to Washington DC, but we truly didn’t care. The only place we wanted to be was on that field getting sore hamstrings and shower-stinging turf burns. As the teenage years set in, commitment may have started to lack and things may have begun to become more important, but every single time we stepped onto that field, nothing else mattered. Because for the next 90 minutes we would be playing for the girl standing next to us.

I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing girls, coaches, and families through the game of soccer. In high school, we brought the biggest crowd to a girls' soccer game that the bleachers had ever seen. During weekends with club games were countless dinners with teammates and families who shared laughs, memories, and the love of the game. On select team trips, we flew in airplanes, watched the Bellagio fountains, and saw the Grand Canyon. Even if we don’t keep in contact much anymore, each and every girl that I had the opportunity to share these experiences with will hold a place in my heart for the rest of my life. They helped shape me. They got me through girl drama, heartbreak, and every single full field sprint. I am forever thankful for the role that they played in my journey, and I will forever want the best for each and every one of them.

But like everything in life, the game came to an end. Whether it was to an injury, graduation, or to a loss of love for the game, there is a game where we all have or will wear our cleats for the last time. And when that day comes, it will feel like your heart has been broken. Because really, it has. Your first love has come and pass, but it was never anything but good to you. So thank you soccer, for giving me amazing friendships and a lifetime of experiences. Thank you for getting me in shape and for shaping me into the strong-willed woman I am today.