It’s Wednesday night in the middle of October
The sun is going down, temperature is dropping, but the fluorescent lights start to liven Ames Soccer Complex and the music starts blasting through the loudspeakers. Soccer players appear, dribbling the ball to one another.
On one side, you have the 2012 DCTC Blue Knights women’s soccer team. On the other side are some of the finest former women’s soccer players who participated in the program since its inception in 2003. They are celebrating DCTC’s first ever women’s alumni soccer game.
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2012 Blue Knights Alumni Team
2012 marks a special year for the DCTC’s women’s soccer team, which has had 169 players over the NJCAA Division I program’s 10-year history. To date, the Blue Knights women have celebrated 99 wins and and 10 ties out of 197 matches.
Former Blue Knight Keely Anderson, who played from 2006–2008, recognized the decade milestone and began planning the alumni game. Through Facebook, she reached out to past players and received a response that was better than anyone could have asked for. “We got enough people for a team in only two weeks,” Anderson said.
Fifteen players, at least one from each season, came together as DCTC’s first women’s alumni soccer team. Future alumni games are in the works.
Here’s what some of the alumni players had to say before the game:
Erika Engberg | Apple Valley HS | Burnsville, Minn. | ’09–’11
“I’m excited about the game! I’m pumped because I know a lot of girls on the team. It’s definitely great to play again.”
Hillary Kiefer Grady | Eagan HS | Eagan, Minn. | ’03
“I’m happy to be a part of the alumni game. I’m excited to play soccer again and see my old friends, not to mention play under the lights. I haven’t played under lights since our last game when I was in school. I’m just really excited!”
Erin Randall | Prior Lake HS | Prior Lake, Minn. | ’11
“It’s a great thing to be doing an alumni game like this! I think DCTC should do it every year. It’s always fun seeing all of the people that were part of the program and the new players coming in. It’s good for the organization to do it.”
Sandy Dyer | Kalamunda SHS | Perth, Australia | ’10–’11
“It’s funny to be back playing again because I was really close with a lot of the people playing. I definitely recommend getting into college sports for the experience.”
Keely Anderson | River Fall HS | Spring Valley, Wis. | ’06–’08
“Bringing alumni back gives the current players a chance to see that people went here, moved on, and want to come back and show our skills. It would be nice to do this every year.”
Emily Grannes Allen | Apple Valley HS | Apple Valley, Minn. | ’04
“It’s exciting to be back and meet other players who have graduated, see what they did in their lives, and what they’re doing now. It’s also kind of cool knowing that you were one of the first 20 in the program.”
Ana Crea | Minneapolis South HS | Minneapolis, Minn. | ’07–’08
“This brings back good memories. I miss my friends, the other players a lot. It’s really good to bring alumni back for the game, to connect with everyone and see their faces. I like it, I’m glad I came.”
You’re probably wondering who won the game? Alumni 1–0! But not so easily. The 2012 team was denied a goal when the ball hit a water bottle that was strategically placed inside the goal. Hmm…
“It was a good game with our younger team taking on some of our best alumni, even ones who still play competitively,” said Head Soccer Coach Cam Stoltz.
2012 Blue Knights Women’s Alumni Soccer Game Gallery
[HTML1]This story was featured in the Winter/Spring 2013 Real Magazine.
For more information about Blue Knights soccer, contact:
- Cam Stoltz
Athletics Coordinator and Head Soccer Coach
651-423-8462 - Nicole Meulemans
Student Life Director
651-423-8403
