'I Wish I Could Play On This Team Forever'
November 13, 2015 | Women's Soccer
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
After finishing the final practice before heading for College Station, Texas and a first round NCAA tournament game against Texas A&M, Washington's women's soccer team gathered along the sideline.
The Huskies started to laugh. It wasn't just one player saying something funny. It was an entire team enjoying the pleasure of good company. For this group, being a part of the program is about more than being on a soccer team.
Sure, these women are teammates, but they're friends. They have created a family feel that links each athlete and every coach. It is a bond that extends beyond the field, one that carries onto campus, into the offseason and after their careers come to a close.
“I wish I could play on this team forever,” said senior Allyson Brahs, who will take the field with her teammates at 5 p.m. Friday. “I don't want it to ever end.”
Brahs is one of seven players who serves on the Huskies' leadership council. It is a group voted on by teammates, tasked with bridging the gap between the team and coaching staff.
“The world of college soccer is really crazy,” junior Havana McElvaine said. “It's really hectic, so it's great to have this group of best friends you get to train with and work hard with, but also it's something you need to work at.
“We really work toward being friends with each other, not just pals and teammates.”
For the Huskies, when things get tough, they spend more time together.
“They are close,” coach Lesle Gallimore said. “One of the things people ask me about is the dynamic of this team and the culture of this team, what stands out to me, they have been even keel. They don't get extra high. They don't get extra low. They're growing toward a team that can say the hard thing to one another.
“They've learned and grown into leaders that understand that if you have to be critical of a player, you have to hold a player accountable, that all comes from being team-first and caring about the team.”
When the Huskies aren't on the field together, the leadership council is working to find opportunities to get involved in the community. From visiting Seattle Children's Hospital to working with the Austen Everett Foundation, Washington works to give back as a group.
The Huskies' time together extends beyond the field and community service. They have taken team trips to the farmer's market. They camped out on the game field to make their home turf a “sacred” space. They divided into “families” for a team bonding competition they called “Game of Thrones.”
“When you're around this team, you don't feel at any point that they just like playing soccer together and then they want to be done with it and get away from it,” Gallimore said. “They don't. They have a real love for this team and this school and I think they put their best foot forward most of the time for the team and the school.”
To play solid soccer, the Huskies need to be able to critique each other during a game. With very little down time for Gallimore to make adjustments from the sideline, it is up to the players to make the necessary changes for the program to find success.
“We have a lot of compatible personalities,” Brahs said. “No one thinks they're better than the team. Everyone really works for each other.”
With the leadership council consisting of younger players and veterans, the Huskies get to make the most of the present, while grooming the program's future.
“I'm just taking it with a grain of salt, hoping that the older girls teach me some leadership skills I can use later on in my years here at UW,” sophomore Dominique Bond-Flasza said. “It's sculpting me into a leader. I'm taking the skills they're using now to further develop my skills as a leader.”
No matter what happens in this NCAA tournament matchup with the Aggies, this team has created memories on and off the field that will last. Win or lose, this team has created something special.
“It's the most special group I've been around in my four years here,” Brahs said. “I can't imagine a group with more chemistry, more cohesion that this group of girls right here.”
