Women's Soccer | 10/27/2014 2:11:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Emily Zadny, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Oct. 27, 2014 - When she was in the third grade, junior women's soccer player Amy Gerald discovered that soccer was the sport for her. Her love for the game continued to grow and landed her a college soccer career at North Central College.

"I like the fact that I can still be an athlete and do what I love, but also focus on school," said Gerald. "I like the team aspect and a lot of my good friends are on the team here."

Gerald, a defender from Orland Hills, Illinois, is one of seven upperclassmen on the team. With no seniors and 15 freshmen, she has assumed a leadership role on the field.

"I think that having a lot of freshmen on the team is a good thing for us," said Gerald. "We have a lot of potential and I think we can only get better from here on out. We are already doing better than last year and as the freshmen get more used to playing soccer at the college level, we will just get better."

The adjustment has already begun, as the team has improved to a 6-6-2 record with two games remaining in the regular season, compared to its 2-12-1 finish in 2013. Gerald attributes the team's success to the hard work and long hours at practice.

"In practice, we have been working at playing at game speed so we can be as prepared for the game as we can be," said Gerald. "I told the team we should strive to play as hard as we can in practice so that the games look easy."

Gerald finished her sophomore season with one goal in 15 games played. She was also named to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) All-Academic Team. This season, she has started all 14 games as a defender and played a role in two shutouts.

For Gerald, the highlight for the team's season has been the Oct. 4 matchup against Carthage College, where head coach Bonnie Young and her team came away with a 2-1 victory in overtime. This marked only the second victory for the Cardinals against the Lady Reds in the program's history.

"It felt awesome, especially the overtime goal," said Gerald, reminiscing on the final moments of the game. "It was a big moment for us and showed us what we are capable of, especially for the future. It shows that we can come back from anything and has set a good tone for the rest of the season. It proves that every game is winnable."

When she is not out on the field, Gerald keeps herself busy in the classroom and with extracurricular activities. The Spanish and secondary education major is also the team's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative, participates in the Athletic Mentorship Program (AMP), works in the Residence Hall/Recreation Center, and recently joined the school's Quidditch team.

Looking forward to the last part of the season, Gerald hopes that her team can return to the CCIW Tournament, which would be a repeat experience from her freshman year.

"Freshman year, we made it to the postseason for the first time in the program's history," she said. "We made the top four CCIW teams and went on to play Augustana. Even though we lost, it was still an accomplishment for the program."

With the way conference action has played out thus far, Gerald feels confident in her team's abilities to reach its goals.

"The freshman aspect plays a big part on our team; we have a lot of new faces and they bring a lot of new talent," she said. "The returners are really dedicated because we recognize that talent and want to see how far we can get this season. We know we can get back to the top four and it's all about working hard to get there."

The Cardinals will play their final home game of 2014 against Milikin University on Wednesday before closing the regular-season schedule at 25th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday. Click HERE for links to live video coverage and in-game statistics.