Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Senior W. Soccer Spotlight: Vicky Bruce
8/6/2015 9:44:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — As the 2015 Davidson women's soccer season approaches, davidsonwildcats.com took some time to get to know each of the six seniors who will lead the Wildcats this year.
The 10-question Q&A session with Dani Johnson, Sarah Tuggle, Maddie Fisher, Madison See, Vicky Bruce and Jenni Isaac was designed to help fans get to know the seniors a little more as they play their final season together. Davidson's season opener is Aug. 21 when it hosts Albany at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.
The next spotlight features senior midfielder Vicky Bruce. The midfielder had an excellent debut season with the Wildcats last year after transferring from North Carolina. Bruce scored two goals and assisted on another three for seven points, ranking second on the team in goals and points. The Cornelius, N.C., native played and started in all 19 games for the 'Cats last year, while firing off 33 shots, second on the team, and putting nine of them on goal. Both of her goals scored were game-winners. Bruce's first game as a Wildcat to open the season, she kicked in the game-winner on a penalty kick in a victory over Winthrop at home. Then Sept. 7 at Coastal Carolina, Bruce scored her second goal of the year, another game-winner, in a road victory. The former Tar Heel had her first-ever two-assist game in leading Davidson to its first-ever Atlantic 10 win in a 2-0 decision at St. Bonventure. Before arriving at Davidson, Bruce played 18 games and started three of them at UNC. She registered her first career points on a pair of assists in 2013 as UNC went 20-5 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Today's spotlight highlights midfielder Vicky Bruce...
Q: What attracted you to Davidson as opposed to other schools in your recruitment?
A: "I knew the assistant coach very well and trusted him as a person and as a coach. Furthermore, after leaving one of the best programs in the country, I knew that all I wanted to do was play. I only had two years of eligibility left and I didn't want to waste them. I knew Davidson was a DI school and would be competitive but I also knew that I would have a big impact right away and that excited me more than anything. School wise, I was very drawn to the small class sizes. At UNC I was a number, and here I'm a person with a name. I feel valued and appreciated, like what I have to say matters."
Q: What's the hardest part about being a Division I athlete? What do you like the most about it?
A: "The hardest thing about being a DI athlete is the amount of time that you put into your sport. We train (at a minimum) every day for two hours and then there are games on the weekend that involve a lot of traveling. We also have to take care of our bodies and spend time in the training room as well as the weight room on a daily basis to stay in shape and be able to perform to the best of our ability. It's like a job. It's a full-time commitment. Everything you do as a student and as a person affects how you perform as an athlete. And it takes a lot out of you. But this is also the thing I love most about being a DI athlete; making individual sacrifices for your team's success."
Q: What do you like the most/least about your sport?
A: "I like that soccer is very different than other sports. Most involve hand to eye coordination. Soccer involves foot coordination and other awkward skills like being able to use your head. I also love how physical it is. Other sports limit physical contact on the girls' side or even change the rules for girls. But soccer is the same exact sport for men as it is for women. My least favorite thing about soccer is how fit you have to be. Running is always my least favorite past time. But it's gotta get done."
Q: Who do you feel your experience as a student and as an athlete at Davidson College will help you in your future?
A: "As a student, I have learned many skills at Davidson that will be helpful to me in the future. I'm incredibly comfortable approaching my elders or superiors and asking for help or managing tough situations. As an athlete, I have learned organizational and time-management skills that will stay with me for life. For example, I've never hit the snooze button because I know that every second of my day matters. And there is always something I can be doing in my free time."
Q: How does Davidson's small, intimate size affect you?
A: "Davidson's small size makes it easier to feel at home. Because you can just walk around and run into a bunch of friends or see people you know at virtually any place on campus, you feel like you can really be yourself. Everyone knows you here and it's nice. Class wise, you learn a lot more too! I transferred from a very big university and not a single teacher ever knew my name. Here, I get called on and am expected to participate."
Q: What are your interests away from the competition arena?
A: "I love all kinds of sports and always have. I played baseball, basketball, and tennis competitively growing up, but eventually switched to just soccer. I don't particularly enjoy reading, but the occasional Nicholas Sparks book is a must. I absoulutely love to dance! I'm always the first kid on the dance floor and ready to have a good time. I'm also a huge entertainment guru so watching popular movies, TV shows, and Broadway musicals as well as staying informed on the lives of celebrities is very fun for me."
Q: What are your ultimate goals as a Wildcat individually and as a team?
A: "Individually, I would really like to make a name for myself this year. I want to stand out and show my coaches and teammates how hard I've worked. It's my last year and I want to go out with a bang. In a perfect world, I'd be a leading scorer and make the all-conference team."
"As a team, I would LOVE to make it to the A-10 conference tournament. Our team has had some bad luck with injuries and we are low on the totem pole when it comes to what other teams expect of us. But, we have a lot of heart and are very capable of going all the way. We're also hosting the tournament this year, so it would be much nicer to be playing in it, rather than watching it from the stands."
Q: How are you striving to achieve those goals?
A: "To achieve my individual goals, I train every day. I don't mean that I just go for a run or kick a ball around a field for an hour and think I'm going to get better. I work with the ball every day for at least an hour practicing dribbling, passing, shooting, and ball control. I do specific drills that I learned from my previous school and I do drills that my coach has us do during the year. Three times a week I lift weights and do core exercises in the gym to make sure that I'm strong enough to hold other girls off the ball. Three times a week I do fitness drills that push you like you've never been pushed before. We're expected to get certain scores on certain fitness tests by preseason so it's mandatory to have a good fitness base. I also try to watch soccer on TV whenever I get a chance because understanding the game and having good vision of the field is crucial for success. But ultimately, I give it my all in everything I do. I could be doing the simplest or hardest of things and it doesn't matter. I work with intensity at all times. In my opinion, a very intense yet short workout is much more valuable than a long drawn out one. And lastly, I focus on my weaknesses. I know what parts of my game are good and what parts need work. It's easy to keep improving on the stuff that you know you're good at. But the real challenge is recognizing what needs work and putting your effort into that."
Q: What/who is your motivation as an athlete? What drives you?
A: "I'm not driven by success. It bothers me when other athletes say those kinds of things. Obviously trophies and medals and accomplishments are great. But that's not why we play the sport. We play for the love of the game. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of some of the things I've accomplished over the years while playing soccer. I represented our country and played for a U.S. national team and I won a national championship as a Tar Heel. But as strange as it seems, I'm more proud of the awards that I have won from my coaches like "best teammate" or if I was ever honored in being a team captain. Also, I think having never won the title of "MVP" in my entire life of playing soccer has kind of humbled me. I always knew that I was crucial to the teams' success and at times I was the best player. But I never let that get to my head. The title or name never really mattered to me. I knew what was expected of me and I always tried to live up to those expectations. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the thought of getting better drives me. I truly enjoy seeing improvement in all aspects of my game. But more importantly, my teammates and coaches drive me because without them, I wouldn't have a reason for playing. They're my family and the reason that I enjoy getting better.
The 10-question Q&A session with Dani Johnson, Sarah Tuggle, Maddie Fisher, Madison See, Vicky Bruce and Jenni Isaac was designed to help fans get to know the seniors a little more as they play their final season together. Davidson's season opener is Aug. 21 when it hosts Albany at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.
The next spotlight features senior midfielder Vicky Bruce. The midfielder had an excellent debut season with the Wildcats last year after transferring from North Carolina. Bruce scored two goals and assisted on another three for seven points, ranking second on the team in goals and points. The Cornelius, N.C., native played and started in all 19 games for the 'Cats last year, while firing off 33 shots, second on the team, and putting nine of them on goal. Both of her goals scored were game-winners. Bruce's first game as a Wildcat to open the season, she kicked in the game-winner on a penalty kick in a victory over Winthrop at home. Then Sept. 7 at Coastal Carolina, Bruce scored her second goal of the year, another game-winner, in a road victory. The former Tar Heel had her first-ever two-assist game in leading Davidson to its first-ever Atlantic 10 win in a 2-0 decision at St. Bonventure. Before arriving at Davidson, Bruce played 18 games and started three of them at UNC. She registered her first career points on a pair of assists in 2013 as UNC went 20-5 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Today's spotlight highlights midfielder Vicky Bruce...
Q: What attracted you to Davidson as opposed to other schools in your recruitment?
A: "I knew the assistant coach very well and trusted him as a person and as a coach. Furthermore, after leaving one of the best programs in the country, I knew that all I wanted to do was play. I only had two years of eligibility left and I didn't want to waste them. I knew Davidson was a DI school and would be competitive but I also knew that I would have a big impact right away and that excited me more than anything. School wise, I was very drawn to the small class sizes. At UNC I was a number, and here I'm a person with a name. I feel valued and appreciated, like what I have to say matters."
Q: What's the hardest part about being a Division I athlete? What do you like the most about it?
A: "The hardest thing about being a DI athlete is the amount of time that you put into your sport. We train (at a minimum) every day for two hours and then there are games on the weekend that involve a lot of traveling. We also have to take care of our bodies and spend time in the training room as well as the weight room on a daily basis to stay in shape and be able to perform to the best of our ability. It's like a job. It's a full-time commitment. Everything you do as a student and as a person affects how you perform as an athlete. And it takes a lot out of you. But this is also the thing I love most about being a DI athlete; making individual sacrifices for your team's success."
Q: What do you like the most/least about your sport?
A: "I like that soccer is very different than other sports. Most involve hand to eye coordination. Soccer involves foot coordination and other awkward skills like being able to use your head. I also love how physical it is. Other sports limit physical contact on the girls' side or even change the rules for girls. But soccer is the same exact sport for men as it is for women. My least favorite thing about soccer is how fit you have to be. Running is always my least favorite past time. But it's gotta get done."
Q: Who do you feel your experience as a student and as an athlete at Davidson College will help you in your future?
A: "As a student, I have learned many skills at Davidson that will be helpful to me in the future. I'm incredibly comfortable approaching my elders or superiors and asking for help or managing tough situations. As an athlete, I have learned organizational and time-management skills that will stay with me for life. For example, I've never hit the snooze button because I know that every second of my day matters. And there is always something I can be doing in my free time."
Q: How does Davidson's small, intimate size affect you?
A: "Davidson's small size makes it easier to feel at home. Because you can just walk around and run into a bunch of friends or see people you know at virtually any place on campus, you feel like you can really be yourself. Everyone knows you here and it's nice. Class wise, you learn a lot more too! I transferred from a very big university and not a single teacher ever knew my name. Here, I get called on and am expected to participate."
Q: What are your interests away from the competition arena?
A: "I love all kinds of sports and always have. I played baseball, basketball, and tennis competitively growing up, but eventually switched to just soccer. I don't particularly enjoy reading, but the occasional Nicholas Sparks book is a must. I absoulutely love to dance! I'm always the first kid on the dance floor and ready to have a good time. I'm also a huge entertainment guru so watching popular movies, TV shows, and Broadway musicals as well as staying informed on the lives of celebrities is very fun for me."
Q: What are your ultimate goals as a Wildcat individually and as a team?
A: "Individually, I would really like to make a name for myself this year. I want to stand out and show my coaches and teammates how hard I've worked. It's my last year and I want to go out with a bang. In a perfect world, I'd be a leading scorer and make the all-conference team."
"As a team, I would LOVE to make it to the A-10 conference tournament. Our team has had some bad luck with injuries and we are low on the totem pole when it comes to what other teams expect of us. But, we have a lot of heart and are very capable of going all the way. We're also hosting the tournament this year, so it would be much nicer to be playing in it, rather than watching it from the stands."
Q: How are you striving to achieve those goals?
A: "To achieve my individual goals, I train every day. I don't mean that I just go for a run or kick a ball around a field for an hour and think I'm going to get better. I work with the ball every day for at least an hour practicing dribbling, passing, shooting, and ball control. I do specific drills that I learned from my previous school and I do drills that my coach has us do during the year. Three times a week I lift weights and do core exercises in the gym to make sure that I'm strong enough to hold other girls off the ball. Three times a week I do fitness drills that push you like you've never been pushed before. We're expected to get certain scores on certain fitness tests by preseason so it's mandatory to have a good fitness base. I also try to watch soccer on TV whenever I get a chance because understanding the game and having good vision of the field is crucial for success. But ultimately, I give it my all in everything I do. I could be doing the simplest or hardest of things and it doesn't matter. I work with intensity at all times. In my opinion, a very intense yet short workout is much more valuable than a long drawn out one. And lastly, I focus on my weaknesses. I know what parts of my game are good and what parts need work. It's easy to keep improving on the stuff that you know you're good at. But the real challenge is recognizing what needs work and putting your effort into that."
Q: What/who is your motivation as an athlete? What drives you?
A: "I'm not driven by success. It bothers me when other athletes say those kinds of things. Obviously trophies and medals and accomplishments are great. But that's not why we play the sport. We play for the love of the game. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of some of the things I've accomplished over the years while playing soccer. I represented our country and played for a U.S. national team and I won a national championship as a Tar Heel. But as strange as it seems, I'm more proud of the awards that I have won from my coaches like "best teammate" or if I was ever honored in being a team captain. Also, I think having never won the title of "MVP" in my entire life of playing soccer has kind of humbled me. I always knew that I was crucial to the teams' success and at times I was the best player. But I never let that get to my head. The title or name never really mattered to me. I knew what was expected of me and I always tried to live up to those expectations. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the thought of getting better drives me. I truly enjoy seeing improvement in all aspects of my game. But more importantly, my teammates and coaches drive me because without them, I wouldn't have a reason for playing. They're my family and the reason that I enjoy getting better.
Players Mentioned
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D
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F/D
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F
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