Advertisement
other sports Edit

Alabama's Caroline Alexander set for her final home soccer match

As Alabama soccer senior captain Caroline Alexander prepares for her final home game in Tuscaloosa, she tries not to remember that in a few weeks she’ll be losing a group of teammates that for four years have felt like her family.

Just like any family, Alabama’s soccer team has plenty of roles that make up a healthy, coexisting team. For the experienced Alexander, the role that best fits her is team mom. A mom that does a lot more than cheer loudly from the sidelines.

“Our team is younger, for the most part,” Alexander said. “There's a lot of younger underclassman that look to me as more of the mom figure. So off the field I’m making sure I can be there for them, if it’s something with their personal lives or if they need help with anything, I’m there to help them. I try to keep my leadership consistent, I think that's what builds a strong team.”

It’s a motherly style of leadership that Alexander learned by studying the expectations of previous captains of Alabama’s soccer team. As each group of seniors moves away from the program a new group is expected to care for the mental makeup of the team.

“When I was a freshman, the seniors that were here were really great leaders,” Alexander said. “They really instilled in me what it means to be a player for Alabama and wear the 'A' every day. That’s something I’ve taken to heart and wanted to share with the underclassman now that I’m older.”

So when Alexander laid down the ground rules for her team at the beginning of the season, the team listened. Her expectations were clear — make it to the postseason.

How could they make that happen? By making every moment count.

“We have all had the goal in mind to make it to the postseason and play in the SEC and NCAA tournaments since the beginning of the season,” Alexander said. “We knew that to do that we need to focus game by game, and we set goals for the week. We don’t focus on the future, we focus on the now.”

The now for Alabama is Vanderbilt in the last game of the regular season. The bittersweet final home game for the Crimson Tide senior will be followed by a chance to play in the SEC Tournament starting Oct. 31

“My final message will be not to give up. Looking back at all of the personal things I’ve accomplished after playing for four years, it’s something that will always be cherished. There’s so many times where you want to give up, because practice is too hard, your’e not getting enough playing time, or your teams not winning, but finishing your career as an alumni and a soccer player at Alabama will always be worth it."

After all, mother always knows best.

K

Advertisement