Freshman midfielder Melissa Clarke is in her first season with the LSU women’s soccer team and is a player who head coach Brian Lee says has the ability to “make an immediate impact on the program.” Clarke graduated from Norcross High School in Norcross, Ga., with a 4.0 GPA and was named a Soccer Buzz Top 50 Recruit in 2005.
She was named a U.S. Youth All-American in 2004 and played on the U16 U.S. National Team the past two years. Clarke hopes to lead the Tigers to the top of the top of the Southeastern Conference and the nation in her time in Baton Rouge. The entries in this diary are meant to chronicle Clarke’s experiences in her first season as a Division I student-athlete.
Aug. 17, 2005: Diary Entry #1:
College is finally here! I have spent the past four years anticipating life on my own without my family and all the things I am accustomed to. I can’t believe it’s finally here and only just beginning.
Fall camp started the day after I had officially moved into my apartment on campus. At 7 a.m. the team assembled on the track for the most nerve-racking beginning of camp our first fitness test. Nervous doesn’t even begin to sum up my anxiety. I kept thinking to myself, “Melissa, just breathe.” You know how the saying goes, “your first impression is always the last,” and I sure didn’t want to leave a bad one.
Casting all my negative thoughts aside, I pushed through the fitness test and passed. I was glad that the dedication put into getting fit prior to the first day of fall camp paid off. The next day I awoke groggy and sore from the previous day of practice. The soreness was nothing I had ever experienced before. But I reminded myself how good I would feel for our first game knowing that I was ready and that all the soreness and fatigue paid off.
Coming together with girls from all over the world (yes, we have Canadians) can be hard on the field because of our different playing styles. From the first day until now, the team has gelled quite well, but we still have a lot of work to do.
You might think it intimidating, but I find it exciting having the chance to play with older and more experienced girls. Practicing with the team has helped me realize my strengths and my weaknesses, especially when we compete against one another. They’re a little faster and stronger than I am, but it’s good to know that in time my speed, strength and overall skill will improve. That really pumps me up to know that I will get better so that I can compete with the best players in the nation.
So far it hasn’t been hard balancing my time and keeping up with all the meetings, obligations and practices that we’ve had. I’m nervous of the fact that in one week we, the freshmen athletes, will have to balance studying and classes on top of everything else. But that’s one of the benefits of playing collegiate soccer. I am surrounded by at least 15 other girls who have been there and done that and are there to support me and my teammates. I know they are there to help me through the good times and bad.
Overall I am extremely excited about the upcoming season, the coaches, the players and the competition. GEAUX TIGERS!!!