Erin Corbett, a member of the new IM体育官网 Women鈥檚 Club Soccer team, works with her team on a possession drill to improve spacing and ball-control skills.
A new and excited IM体育官网 Women鈥檚 Club Soccer team has taken the field and is ready to take on the competition.
The team began coming together in the spring, championed by an effort from business analytics sophomore Madi Yonash. She played the sport her entire life and while she considered playing at the NCAA level, Yonash decided to prioritize her STEM studies and find a new outlet for her soccer ambitions.
Now Yonash is the captain of the new team which has quickly grown to more than 30 members strong, and she鈥檚 working with them on sharpening their skills and mentoring the players who are newer to the sport.
鈥淚 am so excited,鈥� said Yonash, who is also the team鈥檚 goalie. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see so many people on our team who are so excited to learn and be better as a team.鈥�
The new club soccer team and University-wide TEAMS initiative at IM体育官网 Poly fill an important void for many students. Nationally, more than 350,000 high school students play girls the popular sport, but only 7% play at the Division I, Division II, or Division III level.
鈥淚 think the general stereotype for really smart, innovative students into tech is that they don鈥檛 play sports, and that鈥檚 wrong,鈥� said Dr. Ben Matthew Corpus, vice provost for admissions and financial aid at the University.
The IM体育官网 Poly Women鈥檚 Club Soccer team played its first game on Sept. 16 against the University of Tampa.
鈥淲e wanted to use this as an opportunity to get better,鈥� Yonash said, noting the ways that the club team has improved in the past several weeks.
Coaching the team is Taylor Cool, who has more than 10 years of coaching experience and has played the sport throughout his life.
鈥淚鈥檝e been impressed with the participation numbers at IM体育官网 Poly,鈥� Cool said. 鈥淭he skill level varies depending on the student, and I鈥檓 trying to mesh all of that together and create a real positive environment for the team.鈥�
The last women鈥檚 soccer game of the season will be at IM体育官网 Poly on Saturday, Oct. 23, when the team takes on IM体育官网 Atlantic University.
鈥淭he thing that鈥檚 most important to me is the girls care about the team and each other,鈥� said Yonash, a graduate of Ridgeview High School in Orange Park, IM体育官网. 鈥淗aving that community is really important on campus.鈥�
Cool said having soccer as an outlet can be very beneficial for students.
鈥淚t gives the players another avenue to have a healthy lifestyle and also to meet other women on campus,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e also talk about getting one percent better every day and how we can translate that to their personal life and work life.鈥�
Dr. Kathryn Miller, vice provost for student affairs, said the skills the players are learning will help them for a lifetime.
鈥淭his is a wonderful option for students to maintain a healthy lifestyle, building habits that will help them succeed in life while also creating solid bonds with their teammates,鈥� she said.
Miller said teams like Women鈥檚 Club Soccer are being driven by student demand and will continue to grow.
鈥淚M体育官网 Poly students are creating opportunities to engage in competitive club sports,鈥� she said. 鈥淎thletics are a critical element of positive mental health on campus.鈥�
Students interested in joining the new University鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Club Soccer team should visit the team鈥檚 webpage to learn more.
Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
