I would first like to thank the Varsity Club for this wonderful honor. I feel so fortunate to have had the athletic experience that I did at Harvard and then to be told that it is worthy of the Hall of Fame is overwhelming. I would like to thank everyone who helped me during my four years at Harvard; the encouragement that I received from my family, my coaches, and my teammates was the foundation that helped me through some of the happiest and some of the most challenging times in my life.

Any success that I achieved playing soccer at Harvard was due largely to the support and encouragement of my family. I knew that I was never alone. There was always someone to share my successes with as well as someone to comfort me when I was struggling. During games I could count on seeing a familiar face in the stands. It meant so much to have them there. It was my parents, however, that were my most loyal fans and my biggest source of strength and support. I can’t recall any games without seeing them on the sidelines. They were always there. They spent many hours driving or flying to be at my games. They have no idea how much it meant to me to have them there. Not surprisingly, and very appropriately, they are here with me once again tonight to share this special time. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Sometimes in life timing is everything, and that is exactly how I feel about my arrival at Harvard. I walked into a program that, although young, was already rich with a winning tradition. Players before me had put up with less than perfect conditions to establish a women’s soccer program at Harvard. I walked into a program with Varsity status, a supportive administration, an excellent coach, first rate fields and equipment, and national recognition. Our coach and the upperclassmen had set high standards for the team’s success and we accomplished these goals within a framework of hard work, commitment, caring, and humor. Bob Scalise, along with the upperclassmen, pushed us hard and demanded a lot of us. We strove for excellence and to win, but we also had fun. There is a reason that Bob’s teams were so successful. He was a talented coach and I am so grateful that I was able to play under him.

As I walked out to the soccer fields for the first time my freshman year, I was a little scared and very naïve. It did not take long, however, to realize that I had an immediate circle of friends, a group of people that I would share much of the next four years with. I was in the company of some of the most intelligent, witty, caring, and committed individuals that anyone could imagine. I can only hope that my children might also be fortunate in their lives to meet quality people like those that I was associated with at Harvard. My teammates were the heart and soul of our success as a team. Without my teammates support on and off the field, I would not be here tonight. I would especially like to thank Janet Judge, my roommate and our goalie. She persevered through every obstacle an athlete could be handed and still managed to fins the good in everything. She was able to make me smile when I was down and she kept me in line when my head got a little big! While our lives have taken us in different directions I still consider her one of my best friends.

My memories of playing soccer at Harvard are not so much of games played or goals scored (I do recall some I missed, however!) but rather of times spent with my teammates on and off the field. I have to smile as I recall hanging out with my teammates in the trainers’ room with TK, or the equipment room with Chet, or at 60B in Bob’s office. There were pajama breakfasts, team meals, and long bus rides with Meave’s “ode de bus.” There was the non-traditional team cheers of “Crush Cornell,” or “Pound Princeton,” or “Burn Brown,” and Janet’s comical artwork to illustrate those captions. There was three weeks playing and traveling in Europe with the Harvard women’s soccer team. There were “Big Weekends” when another Ivy League school would bring all its fall sports to compete at Harvard. There were triple sessions, grueling 120’s and shuttles, and special Cooper running groups for those of us with less than stellar conditioning! We shared aches and pains during pre-seasons, as well as many, many bags of ice! Even during the tough times, we through it as a group, we shared the good and the bad, and we all grew and matured from the experiences. The memories are endless and they are all cherished.

I remember crying at UMass my senior year as our season and many of our careers ended with a 1-0 NCAA quarterfinal loss. I recall crying at the conclusion of the game, not so much because we lost the game, but because my Harvard soccer career was over. My four years playing soccer at Harvard were four of the most memorable years of my life. I shared them with special people. Thank you to everyone who was a part of that. And thank you to the Varsity Club for helping me to rekindle those memories.