Turning heads

The minute Emily Brown joined the Laurier Golden Hawks women’s soccer team, she immediately felt the desire for a national championship.

“[The team] got second at nationals last year which is a bit of a disappointment, but they wanted it so bad and they’ve passed on the fire to us.”

Brown, a first-year business student, has been playing soccer since the age of four, and continues to make it an important part of her life. As a rookie, she has already tallied eight goals in ten games, and was named OUA Athlete of the Week in September.

“I was honoured to be named Athlete of the Week,” Brown explained. “I feel like I’ve been receiving all this credit, but it takes ten other girls to get the ball up to me.”

“I don’t think the other [girls] get credited enough. Just because I finish does not make me the best player.”

Despite the excessive workload from her program, Brown continues to balance her love of soccer with her academics. At times, Brown finds it challenging, but loves the reward of a dominating team.

She also emphasized the chemistry found from the undefeated Laurier squad.

“When I came in they were already so strong and working so well and I felt the pressure to make it work, but they made it so easy.”

Although Brown loves playing as a Golden Hawk, her decision to attend Laurier was well thought-out.

“I took a lot of time looking at different schools and looking at different options … I’m from Waterloo so of course Laurier was always on the top of my list. I’m in business and it’s one of the best business schools in Canada so it’s kind of the perfect combination for me.”

She also enjoys the ability to play where she grew up.

The sharp forward has recorded 26 shots in ten games, leading her team in that statistic. She is tied for most goals with second-year forward Krista Cellucci, which also places her second in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings, one behind the league leader.

The CIS top-ranked Laurier team heads into the final four games of their season before the playoffs begin. Brown sees the opportunity for a championship, but respects the work that will come with it.

“We’re really buckling down. We know we need to work hard to get into OUAs and then to nationals, which is ultimately where we want to be.”

“It’s really important to focus on each game and take it one at a time instead of [looking] so far away.“