The Whitman College women’s soccer season came to a close on Friday, Nov. 5th with a 2-2 draw against Lewis and Clark College. The team went 4-10-2 against conference opponents, ending in seventh place.
But for two players, the match meant not only the end of season, but the closing of their Whitman soccer careers. Seniors Kristen Innes and Kate Newman played their final game in their Missionary uniforms.
For both women, their fellow teammates were more than just other players–they were also some of their best friends.
“Each year has brought in new girls and a new team dynamic, and year after year they have been, and continue to be, some of my most cherished friendships,” Newman said.
Innes shared Newman’s sentiment about the close-knit nature of the group.
“The team is like a family,” Innes said. “It’s an extra area of support.”
But Newman wasn’t always sure that the team was going to be as much of a family as it turned out to be. As a first-year she was anxious and scared about joining.
“I know that a lot of the returners were nervous that I was not going to be a fun teammate because I was so nervous I came across as super serious and mean,” she said.
However, once she got over the initial stress of joining the team, Newman quickly came to see that the team was a very welcoming and fun community.
“After the stress of tryouts passed I loosened up a lot, and all of that preliminary stress just melted away,” she said.
Innes, who started playing soccer in her sophomore year after playing basketball as a first-year, didn’t have the same nerves as Newman, but was instead still learning how to balance sports and studies.
“I fit in really well; the girls were really easy to get along with,” Innes said. “But I was still getting used to college athletics.”
While seniors are often the ones that underclassmen look up to, Newman and Innes share a different perspective from their experience.
“There is a pretty universal and shared respect that we have going on,” Newman said. “I look up to a lot of the first-years and sophomores for a lot of reasons, not to mention the upperclassmen.”
The closing of their soccer careers is bittersweet for the both of them.
“[It is] bitter because it is hard not to play with not only my teammates, but my close friends,” Innes said. “But it’s nice because now I can focus on my studies and do what I came here to do.”
For both women, playing soccer has been an invaluable aspect of their time spent at Whitman.
“Through the ups and downs, the victories and defeats, I would not give up the experience for anything in the world,” Newman said.
Innes echoed her sentiment and shared the impact that the team had on her life.
“Not just being a part of the team, but playing soccer has played a major role in my life,” Innes said.
Both women now look ahead to finishing their senior years and graduating, leaving behind the team that they have come to love.
