With the final two home matches of the season this weekend, the seven seniors on the Iowa soccer team know their playing careers will soon end.
The Hawkeyes (8-9, 0-7) will celebrate Senior Night prior to their game against Michigan (5-7-5, 0-2-5) at the Iowa Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. today.
Iowa will then face Michigan State (9-3-4, 2-3-2) in its final home match at 1 p.m. on Nov. 1. The Hawkeyes will also honor their families for their support.
The senior class is made up of Jackie Kaeding, Erica Clausen, Alex Seydel, Kim White, Nicole Slevin, Heather Windsor, and Kelsey McCarron. Kaeding, a fifth-year senior, said the group has been through ups and downs during their careers, and that has made them a tighter bunch.
“We’ve kind of shared that bond, this camaraderie, that we’ve been through a lot,” the midfielder said. “We’ve been through a lot of the peaks and valleys in this program.”
What also makes the class so close is that each player traveled many miles to play in Iowa City, with the exception of Coralville-native Kaeding.
Seydel (San Diego), Slevin (San Pedro), and Windsor (Temecula) all came from California. Clausen is from Portland, Ore., White is a Providence, Utah native, and McCarron is from Delray Beach, Fla.
Each year since the class members arrived on campus, they have increased their victory total. The Hawkeyes won six matches as freshmen in 2006, eight as sophomores, and nine as juniors last fall.
They also collectively helped the Hawkeyes set the program record for best-ever start to a season when Iowa opened 2009 with an 8-2 overall mark.
Fourth-year head coach Ron Rainey knows what the class has meant to his program.
“I think this group has done some things that haven’t been done in their four-year careers,” he said. “Two times in the Big Ten Tournament [2007, 2008] — that’s awesome.”
After that record-setting start, however, Iowa hasn’t mustered a single conference win and sits in last place.
The Hawkeyes still have a chance to keep the streak of increased wins going if they can grab two of the last three matches this season. But a road contest at No. 22 Purdue on Nov. 7 to end the season could be a tough match.
For now, the seniors aren’t looking too far ahead, concentrating on the moment and making as many memories as possible.
“Honestly, we’re probably the closest class on the team,” Slevin said. “We pretty much do everything together. I can say, personally, that these girls are my best friends, and hopefully, will be my best friends for the rest of my life. I think we’ve shaped each others’ experiences here.”
Both home matches will be emotional for the entire group, Slevin said, when the seven seniors step onto the field for the last time.
“It’s going to be bittersweet,” Slevin said. “It’s going to be exciting to have our parents here — especially our class. We’re coming from all over the place, and our parents haven’t been able to see us play that much. So for them to be here and be honored, it’s going to be a great experience, but bittersweet.”