Friends, family, teammates and other subscribers to the top blog on
the soccer sphere, we welcome you back to a very special and sentimental senior
edition of Blog It Like Beckham. As many of you know (or don’t know) this past
weekend we took time to celebrate the old ladies on the team for the annual
Senior Night. This year, Senior Night fell on a game closer to the middle of
the season than the end, and I (Morgan) think that might have been a good thing,
because my emotions weren’t ready for a final game on Engelmann, quite yet. We
took on Cleveland State, but before kickoff, us seniors got spoiled by our
teammates, coaches, friends, families, and our Athletic Department staff.
I think we can speak for all the seniors in saying it was a very
special night. The underclassmen did a great job providing us with
unconditional love and plenty of treats the moment we stepped into the locker
room. And from there, things just kept getting better and better. Mr. Behnke
hooked us all up with some pretty cool posters, and the coaches gave us some
words of encouragement, notes, hugs, and some lovely flowers. Our parents were
right there with us as we walked out and celebrated our last four years as a
Panther Women’s Soccer Player.
After a bit of a slow start, allowing Cleveland State a first half
goal, we were able to tie up the match in the second half on a great through
ball from Maria Stephans to Kelly Lewers, who calmly finished in the 48th
minute. Kelly earned Horizon League Offensive Player of the week- well
deserved, Kel! Despite having 17 shots in the match, we settled for a tie, and
while we were happy to pull back to level with the Vikings, we were not pleased
with this result. We look forward to the remainder of our matches to get the
results we are looking for and prove just how capable we are.
Mr. Behnke put together a short senior questionnaire that was filled
out by all the seniors. It didn’t quite make it into the packed day, so we wanted
to include it in here. We were asked a few questions about our 4 years and to
describe our fellow seniors in five words or less, here’s what we came up with:
Kelly Lewers
Homewood, IL
Psychology and Political Science Major
Future plan is to become a lawyer
Favorite on field memory = beating
Marquette this year
favorite off field soccer memory =
all of the Christmas parties
· Vienna
Behnke: a great singer/lover of waffles
· Caity
Bestwina: would kill for sushi or chili's
· Krissy
Dorre: sweeter than her new puppy
· Kelsey
Holbert: always manicured and smiling
· Amy
Kauffung: organized is an understatement
· Morgan
LaPlant: future stand-up comedian
· Kelly
Lewers: not a morning person
· Emma
Worthington: made of coffee and smoothies
Special thanks to Greg, Dave, Jon, Keara, Chad,
and my parents for making the last four years so great and memorable!
Vienna
Behnke
Hometown: Neenah, WI
Major/degree: Bachelor of arts in
psychology; currently pursuing a master's degree in experimental psychology
with an emphasis in behavioral analysis
Future plans or dream job: get PhD in
experimental psychology to be a research psychologist
Favorite on-field soccer memory: scoring the
goal that sealed the regular season conference championship against Oakland in
2013
Favorite off-field soccer memory: going to
pancake house with the team
Describe yourself and each of your fellow
seniors in five words or fewer:
· Vienna
Behnke: dedicated, intense, loud
· Caity
Bestwina: efficient, quick, short-tempered
· Krissy
Dorre: compassionate, animal lover, generous
· Kelsey
Holbert: smiley, encouraging
· Amy
Kauffung: fierce, competitive, quirky
· Morgan
LaPlant: creative, funny, the instigator
· Kelly
Lewers: sleepy, easy-going, laid back
· Emma
Worthington: flexible, outgoing
Special thanks: to my mom and dad for coming to
all my games and for helping me truly enjoy the game of soccer
Caity
Bestwina
Hometown: Tinley Park,
IL
Major/degree: Psychology and Sociology
Future plans or dream job: Work with
developmentally disabled (specifically autistic) kids
Favorite on-field soccer memory: making it to
the second round of the NCAA tournament
Favorite off-field soccer memory: playing catch
phrase on the bus rides
Describe yourself and each of your fellow
seniors in five words or fewer:
· Vienna
Behnke: fitness fanatic, driven, hard worker
· Caity
Bestwina: driven, dependable, hard working
· Krissy
Dorre: animal lover, talented, quiet, warmhearted
· Kelsey
Holbert: leader, high achiever, dependable, enthusiastic
· Amy
Kauffung: organized, thoughtful, ambitious
· Morgan
LaPlant: hysterical, witty, fast, jokester
· Kelly
Lewers: self-demanding, impressionable, generous
· Emma
Worthington: intelligent, motivated, patient
Special thanks: to my parents for supporting me
all these years and to my teammates who make all of this so enjoyable
Krissy
Dorre
Hometown: Joliet, Illinois
Major/degree: Social Work & Psychology
Future plans or dream job: I would like to run
therapy sessions out of my home
Favorite on-field soccer memory: Last year when
we went back and forth with scoring to win the Horizon League Tournament
against Oakland
Favorite off-field soccer memory: When we went
to the Steinhauser's farm and it happened to be my birthday that day :)
Describe yourself and each of your fellow
seniors in five words or fewer:
· Vienna
Behnke: intelligent, great singer, fearless, friend
· Caity
Bestwina: friend, funny, relentless, devoted, strong
· Krissy
Dorre: caring, chill, funny, composed
· Kelsey
Holbert: leader, supportive, dedicated, caring, funny
· Amy
Kauffung: organized, funny, very sweet, smart
· Morgan
LaPlant: team jokester, spontaneous, friend, loves music
· Kelly
Lewers: goofy, caring, sweet, good dancer
· Emma
Worthington: smart, loves yoga, dedicated, fun
Special thanks: To my parents; Jill, Roger,
Bob, & Nena for all the unconditional support and love that you have given
me in and out of soccer, through the good times and the bad. My teammates for
everything we have accomplished and for being wonderful friends. The
coaches for never giving up on us and helping me reach my potential and my
goals. Also, to all the parents for the nonstop support for that last 4 years.
Thank you all :)
Morgan
LaPlant
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Major/degree: Marketing
Future plans or dream job: Future plans are unclear, possibly
grad school. Dream job is to own a business.
Favorite on-field soccer memory: Going 4-0 up on
Marquette.
Favorite off-field soccer memory: all of the road trips
Describe yourself and each of your fellow seniors in five
words or fewer:
· Vienna Behnke:
Dedicated, adventurous, dependable
· Caity
Bestwina: Kind, punctual, helpful
· Krissy
Dorre: Easy-going, positive, fun
· Kelsey
Holbert: Nice, clever, hard working
· Amy
Kauffung:Organized, thoughtful, responsible
· Morgan LaPlant:
friendly, motivated
· Kelly Lewers:
energetic, friendly, modest
· Emma
Worthington: Smart, nice, confident
Special thanks: To my parents, family, coaches and
everyone who has supported me for the last 21 years.
Kelsey
Holbert
Hometown: Western Springs, IL
Major/degree: Chemistry Major, Biology Minor / Bachelor of
Science in Chemistry Future plans or dream job: I will be applying to Medical
School this Spring. My dream job is to be a physician or be involved in medical
research at a hospital.
Favorite on-field soccer memory: The 2013 Horizon League
Championship was my favorite on-field soccer memory. It was such a great team
effort and I will remember that feeling forever!
Favorite off-field soccer memory: Going to my house in
Western Springs with the team for dinner on my birthday last year after a big
Panther win. All of my favorite things!
Describe yourself and each of your fellow seniors in five
words or fewer:
• Vienna Behnke:
Hardworking, Disciplined, Talented
• Caity Bestwina:
Dependable, Fun, Lively
• Krissy Dorre: Kind,
Warm, Loving
• Kelsey Holbert: Proud
of all my teammates!!
• Amy Kauffung:
Organized, Caring, Trustworthy
• Morgan LaPlant: Sweet,
Funny, Thoughtful
• Kelly Lewers: Generous,
Lighthearted, Considerate
• Emma Worthington:
Hardworking, Determined, Full of Life
Special thanks: To my awesome parents and two sweet sisters
for making it to SO many games in the last 16 years of my soccer career and for
being my rocks--I love you guys! To my teammates and their families for
being such great people who I care about greatly, to all of the coaches I have
had at UWM, particularly Greg, Jon, Dave, and Keara for ALL that you do for us,
Chad and the athletic training staff for putting up with my countless injuries,
Nicole McCoy for being a great advisor and friend, and the Athletic Department
for an awesome student-athlete experience. Finally, thank you to all of
these people and more for opening doors, carrying my
backpack/crutches/coffee/laundry/etc., and giving me rides and hugs whenever I
needed through this injury. I can't say how much I appreciate it!!
Amy Kauffung
Hometown: Hartland, WI
Major/degree: Kinesiology, minor in Healthcare Administration
Future plans or dream job: Masters in Business
Administration (MBA)
Favorite on-field soccer memory: winning the Horizon
League Championship every single year, and keeping the streak alive this year
:)
Favorite off-field soccer memory: not one specific memory,
but being together without the pressure of soccer is always a relaxing,
fun memory
Describe yourself and each of your fellow seniors in five
words or fewer:
·
Vienna
Behnke: ambitious, driven, opinionated (in a good way)
·
Caity Bestwina: serious, assertive, eager
·
Krissy
Dorre: positive, honest, respectful
·
Kelsey
Holbert: leader, dedicated, kind
·
Amy
Kauffung: competitive, organized, motivated
·
Morgan
LaPlant: jokester, loveable, enthusiastic
·
Kelly
Lewers: devoted, adventurous, easy-going
·
Emma
Worthington: enthusiastic, responsible, intelligent
Special thanks: to my parents for making it to every single
game, rain or shine, and being there for me always; don't know what I would do
without their love and support, on and off the field!
Emma
Worthington
Hometown: Shoreview,
MN
Major/degree: Pre-Med,
Anthropology Major
Future plans or dream job: Go to
medical school and become a doctor.
Favorite on-field soccer memory: Beating
Oakland in the HL final last year.
Favorite off-field soccer memory: Carving
pumpkins, Secret Santa; every moment is wonderful with this team.
Describe yourself and each of your
fellow seniors in five words or fewer:
· Vienna Behnke: Always remembers
everything, grad student, passionate
· Caity Bestwina: Competitive,
Honest, Good cook, Smart
· Krissy Dorre: Fighter,
Sweetheart, Compassionate, Adaptable, Supportive
· Kelsey Holbert: Compassionate,
Diligent, Intelligent, Organized, Color-coded
· Amy Kauffung: Organized, Confident,
Competitive, Generous, Supportive
· Morgan LaPlant: Clever, Funny, Fast,
Outgoing
· Kelly Lewers: Relaxed,
Compassionate, Smart, Funny
· Emma Worthington: Positive,
Hard-working, Unique, Smart
Special thanks: My parents.
Mom and Dad, you guys have been there for me every step of the way. I don’t
know what I would do without you. Thank you for your endless love, support,
wisdom, and inspiring presence. I am so lucky to have you as parents. I love
you!
Thanks for putting that together Mr. Behnke, you are making
our job that much easier ;)
As we conclude this post, we’d like to send another thanks to
our coaches, teammates, parents, family and friends for making senior night one
that we will never forget. If you all knew how much we both cried that day…
Next
up, Green Bay this Wednesday. It’ll be a good one, folks. Until then, if you
can’t bend it, blog it and if you can’t blog it…take a photo and tweet us with
the hashtags #PawsUp #Rise&Roar.
Yours
truly,
Kelsey
and Morgan
