By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
For two members of the St. Bonaventure University women’s soccer team, their time as collegiate soccer players is nearing its end.
Defenders Mirae Whitaker and Jennifer Morris are both seniors on the team, meaning that the team’s last two games of the season could be the last two of their careers.
Steve Brdarski, the head coach of the women’s soccer team, said Whitaker has meant a great deal to the team and her determination has driven her forward.
“As a player, she dealt with being injured very early in the season, and I do not know many players who could have had surgery in the middle of a season and still come back to help the team,” Brdarski said. “Yet, that is Mirae, she is not afraid to give everything she has and to sacrifice for the team. She has done that all four years at SBU, and this season we have missed her soccer IQ and possession play on the field for most of the games.”
Brdarski said Morris has been a success both on and off the field in her time with the Bonnies.
“Jenny has worked very hard in the past on her own to play, great crosses on corner kicks and free kicks,” Brdarski said. “Everything she has done on the field has been great, yet what people don’t see enough of is how great of a person, teammate and student she is. She has helped so many on our campus and has made Bonas a better place.”
Whitaker’s experience with the seniors over her first three years taught her the value of dedication.
“[The] seniors before me have taught me to always work hard and to play for each other,” Whitaker said.
Morris said the seniors before her served as an example of how to do things the right way.
“I was inspired by the seniors and players around me by the work and dedication they put into every practice, every game and even outside of requirement,” Morris said. “I wanted to make sure I put in everything; I had always worked my hardest.”
Whitaker said she sees her role as being a teacher and leader for the next group of upperclassmen.
“I think the role of a senior is to show the underclassmen what it means to be a part of the team and to pass on their experiences to them,” Whitaker said. “They should show them the expectations and to be there to help their teammates out whenever needed.”
Morris said her favorite part of being on the team has been the people she has met and had a chance to interact with, as cliché as that may sound to her.
“It is probably a common answer, but the best part is the camaraderie and the friendships,” Morris said. “You are with these people day in and day out. Without a team you enjoy being around, the sport wouldn’t be as fun.”
Brdarski said that despite the small number of seniors, they have a big impact.
“I think many people, when they look at our senior class say, ‘You only have two seniors,’” Brdarski said. “What’s shocking is not that we have two, but more so how much they do on a daily basis. They both have what we want from our team, they dedicate themselves to being great people, students and soccer players.”
Morris and Whitaker both had advice for their team.
“My final message to the team is to never forget to have fun,” Morris said. “I think we all play our best when we just go out, have fun and not [let] worries get in the way.”
“I’d just like to say thank you to the team for making the past few years really memorable,” Whitaker said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be around. Enjoy every minute of your time here because it really goes by fast.”
The women’s soccer team will take on Richmond on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. and face Saint Joseph’s on Oct. 30 at 1 p.m., both on the road, in its final games of the regular season.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
