Fairbanks, who initially was unsure in penalty kicks at the Final Four, it was say we had a good team. Now that they’ve of having a place to live upon arrival, about it being the final time we played done it for the past three years, people say admitted she felt a feeling of uncertainty. together.” we have a good program.” “Once I finally got here I thought to myself, The Cardinals went 58-4-7 On top of any win, loss, or tie was ‘What did I just do?’ But I quickly learned throughout their final three seasons, that they had done it all with each other, I was glad to be back playing soccer again, finishing each season ranked in the top ten and for each other. and enjoying it.” nationally. The team ended 2010 ranked “We’re never going to have another The group captured its secondthird nationally with the top-ranked reason to get together with our best friends straight conference championship as defense in the country. every day… to travel to places, to laugh juniors, going 20-2-1 overall and falling in “They had an amazing ability to find together and cry together,” said Smith, a overtime of the NCAA Sweet 16, this time a way to win, and that’s what I feel really graduate of Westerville South High School. in Baltimore, MD, to national power and marks their time here,” Koons said. “Their “Our team was so special,” Herold eventual champion Messiah College, PA. teams never broke any scoring records, but added. “I liked going to practice, and I had Many say that match provided a when they needed a goal they found a way always hated practice my whole life. I’m vision and belief of winning a national to get it.” going to miss riding on a bus, with all of my championship as seniors, but they also It’s easy to see and understand friends, and laughing so hard. It’s just never point out the importance of just growing as the impact the eight made on Otterbein going to happen again.” a unit. women’s soccer. The group helped create a following “I think we always just wanted to do “The program had been on the of family, friends, faculty, boyfriends, better than the year before,” said Herold, a national level before, but then fell from alumni, and more that will surely be graduate of Dublin Coffman. it,” said Koons. “These girls helped bring remembered as special. Mission accomplished. The eight turned it back to that point. When we made the “I think my parents had a better in a season to remember as seniors, helping NCAAs five or six years ago, people would time than I did,” joked Vasbinder. “It was guide the team to an undefeated record of special to have an entire crowd of people 20-0-4, making the NCAA Final Four (played that followed us and were so into every in San Antonio, TX) for the first time in minute. We were the ones on the field, but program history. They would bow out to it ended up being all of these additional the eventual national champion people who ultimately made up Hardin-Simmons University, TX, our team.” in penalty kicks. They reflected on their All very parents attempting a competitive, the eight tailgate gathering during will admit to being their freshman bitter about not season, with advancing to the barely anyone championship showing up. By match after the last match having been so of their careers, close. However, played 1,340 miles it was impossible away, the team saw for them not to nearly 100 Cardinal emotionally reflect fans gathered in the on the journey parking lot more than immediately after two hours before the that final match. match. “We just All eight were realized it was over,” part of recordsaid Fairbanks. “It setting statistics, The tight-knit group has a lot of hardware to display. wasn’t about us losing and received honors
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