Q + A Session With Andrea Carpenter

Q: How were you chosen to be part of this select team that competed throughout Italy, and how much did you enjoy the experience of playing overseas?
 
A: “I'm pretty sure that I was chosen through winning an All-America award since (former ACU teammate) Ashley Holton also was part of this team.
 
“And I was first invited last fall after receiving an e-mail, and I told my parents I really wanted to be part of this trip because I'd be able to go abroad and play soccer, while not worrying about having to do homework. I was really excited about this opportunity, so they decided to let me travel, and I was there for close to two weeks at the start of June.
 
“Being there was so much fun. I made a lot of new friends with these girls from all over the United States, and experienced a bunch of neat stuff with them for the first time. We also were allowed to train on the Italian National Team's field and used its facilities, and that was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I was in shock while I was on the field, because it was so beautiful and the surrounding facilities were so nice. It was an honor to be on the same field where elite athletes compete.
 
“Overall, it was an awesome experience and I'm so grateful that I got to go.”

Photo of the Roman Coliseum taken by Andrea Carpenter

Q: Did you pick up on any differences between the way Americans and Italians play soccer?
 
A: “I noticed that just like when I watch professional soccer on television players like to try and draw the foul by throwing themselves to the ground. I've never done that and I hate playing that way, but it was funny to watch them yell as they hit the grass and then quickly recover after the referee calls for the foul.
 
“The most important thing I learned from the Italians, however, was not to overlook the simple things, and that to always work hard even during a passing drill because that's the fundamental skill in all of soccer. A player first must learn how to pass before he or she can play with a team, but sometimes that's overlooked in soccer nation, as people just want to do things the fancy way.
 
“The Italians' technical skills on the ball are very good and they're great at doing the easy stuff like playing and possessing the ball. They seemingly don't ever make a bad pass and I think its because they work on developing their fundamentals from when they are so little.”
 
Q: Was there anything you came across during practices or matches that you'd like to see implemented at ACU this coming season?
 
A: “We trained with one of the Italian National Team's coaches as we were using their facility, and at first I was really nervous because I didn't know what to expect. But it was just like a practice that I've had here at ACU and we even did a couple of the same drills, and so I felt like this isn't too bad.
 
“That one practice made me realize that we have great coaches who know what they're doing. Because if we're doing the same things national teams are then I feel like I'm learning more than most collegiate athletes. This made me feel proud of my program and where I come from.”

Photo of the Italian National Team Complex taken by Andrea Carpenter

 Q: Was it easy to play for a team whose players and coaches were largely unfamiliar to you?
 
A: “I remember the first game and I was so nervous because I hadn't played a real game in quite awhile, and I didn't know any of the girls I was playing with except Ashley. I knew my teammates were going to be good but I didn't know how they were going to play or how we would mesh.
 
“For the entire first half I was kind of a mess, but then afterward we started to play together, and it reminded me of my freshman year when it was a little bit frustrating at the beginning as I became used to playing with new people.
 
“It was a cool experience to play on this new team for just a short time, knowing we only had four games together. So we all just played extremely hard and I really enjoyed that as we went 3-1. Our coach also was great and just as competitive as we all were. She had so much fun coaching us and did a good job of getting us into game mode after we spent most of the day as tourists.”
 
Q: Who were some of your favorite teammates?
 
A: “Since I came from the same school as Ashley they automatically put us together in a room that we shared with Sam, who was the youngest girl on the trip. She plays for a NAIA team up north and it was really fun getting to know her.
 
“There was another pair of girls who came from the same school, similar to Ashley and I, and all four of us instantly wanted to hang out together. So we hung out the whole time with them and their names were Brooke and Danielle.
 
“I became good friends with many of these people really fast because I was around them all the time for 13 straight days, but the reality is I'm never going to see about half these girls ever again because the all live so far away. Luckily we can catch up with Facebook.”
 
Q: What was one of your funniest or most unexpected moments of the trip?
 
A: “We were all hanging out in the lobby of our hotel in San Marino late one night about 1 o'clock in the morning and none of us were tired because of the time difference, and so we were trying to pick up the Wi-Fi and Skype with family and friends.
 
“And there was a man who worked there at the hotel, actually in the restaurant beneath the hotel, and his name was Michelangelo. He would stay up late every night like until 5 a.m., and we would always wonder about what he does or is supposed to be doing. We would also talk to him even though he didn't speak much English and we told him that night the Wi-Fi wasn't working so we asked him to turn it on, but it's obvious he didn't understand what we're trying to tell him.
 
“All of a sudden though he breaks out dancing like Michael Jackson. It's 2 o'clock in the morning and he's just dancing around the lobby and I'm dying from laughter because I did not expect him to break into dance after we asked him to fix the Wi-Fi. But it was so funny, and he was hilarious.
 
“Everyone wanted to come down and talk to Michelangelo afterward because he continued to do random funny stuff. He was a funny, funny man.”
 
Q: What were some of your favorite cities or sites in Italy?
 
A: “I loved being in Rome where I got to visit the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City. I loved coming up to the Coliseum because it was so cool to see it in real life. That was one of my favorite sites, but my favorite town was San Marino, which is built into the side of a cliff.
 
“The whole town looked like an old castle all built out of rock, and we got to tour through the entire city and explore its towers and lighthouses. The town is so high up that we could see everything, and it was so beautiful to see all the green trees, vineyards, gardens and valleys, as well as the coastline. I love the (Texas) Panhandle don't get me wrong, but all I'm used to flat, brown and no trees.
 
“Italy was gorgeous and I think I took over 1,000 pictures, which I'm excited to scrapbook since I'm probably never going back there.”

Photo of San Marino taken by Andrea Carpenter

 Q: What have you done with the rest of your summer since coming back stateside?
 
A: “I just returned from a family vacation to Panama City, Fla., and then on the way back we attended my cousin's wedding in Louisiana. The trip was really fun and I enjoyed spending time with my family because I don't get to do that much in the fall. It was nice to end my summer with them, and start it off right by going to Italy for the first two weeks in June. In between I've been living at my house in Abilene and working out all the time.
 
“It's been an amazing summer. I've been able to do all the stuff I've wanted, but now I'm ready for the season to start.”
 
Q: What excites you the most about the start of training camp?
 
A: “I'm mostly excited to see everyone again because I hate being away from my teammates for the whole summer. I miss them like they are my family. 
 
“And even though most everyone hates two-a-days, I kind of like them in a way because I can instantly bond with my teammates during those first couple of weeks. Everyone is tired, hot and sore, but it's fun to be miserable together with the girls on the team. I'm excited to start two-a-days, playing matches, and seeing everyone come back, especially the new players. I want to see what we all can bring to this team.” 

Photo of Lake Como taken by Andrea Carpenter

 Q: Do you see this team playing similarly to last year's squad, or will there be some changes made due to the loss of the three seniors?
 
A: “We're looking at doing a couple different things with our formation that will be of benefit to us, but for the most part we'll be maintaining the same style of soccer, which involves possession, passing the ball, and working our way up the field.  I think we'll be able to do the same things we did last year, but some of the girls are going to have to step up and help fill the holes that we have. We'll see how it all goes once two-a-days start.”
 
Q: How do you and your teammates respond to the pressure of high expectations?
 
A: “I like having the pressure of people expecting us to play well because I know that all the players on this team want to go as far as the national tournament. We want to rise up to meet everyone's expectations and we'll push hard to get there. The pressure will be good for us and it's actually nice to have people to play for other than our coaches and ourselves.
 
“People have largely overlooked us since I've been here because we're a new program that's still getting on its feet and making a name for ourselves. But last year we shocked a lot of people getting as far as we did.”