Michigan State women’s club soccer looks to repeat their undefeated season and become back-to-back national champions while building something much more than a winning legacy.
Grace Sullivan arrived at Spartan Greens Turf Complex on a cool Tuesday afternoon in early September, stepping into her final season with the club as president. She’s joined by fellow seniors, Jenna Barbour and Olivia Darnell, as teammates filter in through the gates and make their way to the far west field, past where another team practices.
To the women on the field, being a part of club soccer has come to be more than just a way to stay active. Soccer may be what brought them together on the field but their relationships go beyond that of just teammates.
Sullivan, Barbour, and Darnell, all multiyear members who currently serve in executive positions for the team, said that club soccer at Michigan State is more than just a way to stay active during the school year.
Many students, like Sullivan, thought about pursuing their athletic career at a varsity level in college. “I just didn’t feel it was right for me but I still wanted to keep playing soccer because I love it so much,” said Sullivan.
“Club sports was kind of just a perfect fit, right in the middle for me,” said Sullivan, a Lake Orion, Michigan native. She is in her fourth and final season with the program as she closes in on finishing her degree in Human Biology. To her, the team has given her more than just an extended athletic career.
During practice, a woman on the team kicks a ball and scores and off the post goal. The women on the club soccer team enjoy competitive practices as their season starts up with new members.
The team participates in much more than just playing soccer together. The women are a part of many bonding activities and events off the field such as tailgates, team dinners, formals, and hayrides. Club soccer has given them more than teammates.
“The main thing is, it’s given me a family,” said Sullivan. “All of these girls are my best friends.” Their success playing as a team on the field, has translated into an unbreakable bond off the field as well.
Sullivan isn’t the only senior on the team who felt that they wanted to continue playing soccer without the pressure of being on a varsity program as they completed a post-secondary education. Barbour shared the same sentiment.
“I really wanted to play in college but there was a lot of pressure going into it. I knew I wanted to focus on my education first and foremost,” said Barbour. “When I found out about the club team I realized I can really balance both work and as well as pursue the sport that I grew up loving without having to give it all up.
“Joining this team has given me my best friends, my bridesmaids,” said Barbour about her teammates and the community she has found within the program.
Michigan State Women's Club Soccer keeps up the intensity, practicing their passing skills to allow them to work together better on the field in upcoming matches.
Not only has the program harbored friendships for the current team member, Barbour says the bonds formed between teammates have surpassed their shared time as students of the university.
“We still connect with girls who graduate so it’s just lifelong friendships I always look forward to,” Barbour said.
Barbour, native of Livonia, Mich. also challenged traditionally held misconceptions about the intensity of their level of play.
“”When people think about club, they think it might be less of a competitive scene but, club is actually very competitive,” said Barbour, the club’s social media chair. “It is something that you put a lot of work into but, it is very rewarding and it is worth an experience.”
The team has members who initially made the choice upon starting college to not play at the varsity level. Darnell made the switch after two seasons at Oakland University and came to Michigan State to finish her degree.
“It just wasn’t for me and that’s fine,” said Darnell. “I also really wanted to focus on my career and that’s something that's just very important to me.”
The women on the club soccer team enjoy being together on and off the field. Between drills the teammates laugh while they wait for further instructions from Head Coach Dan Jury.
Darnell said that without the pressures of the school athletics, not only is she able to enjoy soccer, she is able to better balance internships and other choices that allow her to pursue her career.
Balancing academics and athletics may have been what drove Darnell to transfer to Michigan State but, within the club soccer program she has found that without the pressure of varsity athletics she is also able to enjoy the experience more like her teammates.
“When everyone else around you is really happy, it definitely falls on you,” said Darnell. “It just makes you happier on the field, and it also makes you happier off the field too.”