The Yellow Armband: Reflections from All Four Captains
11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 12, 2015
The time has come for the final entry of the 2015 University of Michigan women's soccer captain's blog, "The Yellow Armband." In this special edition, senior captains Maddie Clarfield, Corinne Harris, Christina Murillo and Christina Ordonez each reflect on a different aspect that made the 2015 season a special one, and collectively say "thank you" to our dedicated fans!
Hello Michigan Fans!
As the season comes to a close, all of us captains wanted to write one final post thanking everyone and looking back at some of our favorite moments from the season. First, thank you to all of our teammates, coaches, trainers, support staff, fans, family, and friends for all of your support this season. We have a truly amazing community here and that is only made possible because of every single person involved.
It's been a great year during which we created some amazing memories. Here are some of the experiences we look back on fondly and will never forget from our senior year:
Corinne Harris: I have to highlight preseason. Anyone who knows anything about college athletics is probably questioning why I am mentioning preseason as a positive memory, but this year it really was. We worked incredibly hard over the spring, and it was amazing to see those results pay off instantly. The level of commitment, the high fitness, and the focus and intensity at practice was all there from day one, and it made all of the hours spent pushing ourselves to improve that much easier to get through. In addition, during preseason you pretty much spend 100 percent of your time with your teammates. When you love a group of girls as much as this team loves each other, that's pretty exciting, and I really value all of the team bonding, froyo trips, hotel breakfasts, and even complaining that we got to do together during this time.
Christina Murillo: I am going to talk about traveling! Traveling is always a part of being an athletic team. Although I don't particularly enjoy going in planes and going through security, there is always something good that comes out of traveling with the team. Each time we stay at hotels we have a new roommate. It has been a way for me to get to know some of my teammates one on one. Even on the planes, we sit next to a teammate and we get to talk and catch up and see how the school year is going. My favorite trip was visiting Seattle. Going through Pike's Place Market and seeing the Seattle Sounders was truly an amazing experience. We spend literally 24 hours/day with one another and that is something you do not really experience too often. The craziest thing of it all is after traveling we still want to make plans to hang out. That is one of the things I will miss most about this team. I can never get sick of spending time with such an amazing group of girls. I am glad that I got the most out of getting to know this group of girls.
Maddie Clarfield: I am lucky enough to talk about some of the really special wins we had this year. Each of these wins had one thing in common -- we worked extremely hard as a team and fought for the entire 90 minutes (or more!). Early in the season, we had a chance for redemption after last year's loss at San Diego. It was an extremely gritty game against a very talented team, and we ended up beating them, 2-1. Another one of the most exciting games we had all year was our win against Iowa. Iowa is a hard team to play against because they are a tough defensive team that battles for 90 minutes. After seeing so many chances go by, Lulu Haidar (one of the smallest girls on the team) absolutely elevated over an Iowa defender to score her first header goal in the 89th minute. This was a perfect example of finding a way to win, and Lulu was someone we could always count on to do so. Two of our biggest results came against Northwestern, first in the regular season and then again in the Big Ten Tournament. Both of these games were battles, and it took every single player fighting for Michigan to get results. Corinne and Nicky both stepped up in those game to produce quality finishes (with one SportsCenter Top 10 Play to show for it). Finally, I can't finish without talking a little more about senior night. After being honored by teammates, coaches and fans for our career here, a win in overtime was the best conclusion to a perfect day and a phenomenal senior season at home. Wins are part of what has made these past four years so remarkable, and I will never forget what it feels like to win for Michigan.
Christina Ordonez: I wanted to touch on the team chemistry we have been fortunate to have, not only with this team, but with every team that we have been a part of during our time at Michigan. I think that team chemistry is something that many teams take for granted, but it is such a key part of our team make up here at Michigan, and plays a huge role in our success. I can honestly say that each one of the girls I have been able to play with throughout my career here has become someone I consider like family to me. It is not very often that you can confidently say that you don't get sick of the people you spend basically 24 hours a day with. We have been so lucky to be a part of a program that truly values the cultural aspect of a team, and I don't think my experience here would have been as amazing as it has been if it weren't for the relationships I have formed on and off the field with my teammates. If there is one lesson I can take away from my four years here it is how important investing time into others can be and how the relationships I have made here are ones I will carry with me for a lifetime.
We are all so excited about the future of this program, and confident that many great things are to come.
Forever Go Blue!
Maddie, X, Christina, and Corinne
