The women’s soccer club provides all the benefits of playing on a soccer team without requiring the same level of commitment needed to play Temple women’s soccer.
“[Club soccer] is a lot less commitment,” said club vice president and junior marketing major Sarah Carter.
Carter, as a former player for Temple’s women’s soccer team, understands the type of demand NCAA soccer requires.
“I was on the [NCAA team] and then realized it was going to be too much commitment for me,” Carter said.
Club president and senior photojournalism major Jessie Fox agreed.
“I wasn’t sure anymore if that was what all I wanted to do,” Fox said of her consideration to play for the NCAA team. “Club is a lot better. It’s still competitive.”
When Fox transferred to Temple her sophomore year, a women’s soccer club team didn’t exist. Therefore, she began practicing with the newly formed men’s club soccer team, while writing to club coordinators about her desire to start a women’s club team.
As more girls started showing up to practice with the men, the idea of beginning a women’s club garnered support. Eventually, Fox and her fellow players were given probationary status for a year, which is standard for clubs at Temple.
Fox said the women then split from the men about a year ago and began practicing themselves.
This year, in many ways, has been monumental in the short history of the club, as there are 60 girls on the roster.
“This year is the most prominent semesters as far as turnout,” Fox said. “We have been actually allocated money and are an official club team.”
Fox said some club players, who may have been able to play for Temple’s NCAA team, decided to join the club team simply to continue playing soccer.
Though only 15 to 20 of the 60 girls on the roster travel to games that are scheduled in conjunction with other local schools, the women’s club soccer team provides more benefits than simply playing time. For Fox, the club team has fulfilled a desire to keep playing a sport she loves.
“I played soccer my entire life,” Fox said. “It was a hard thing to let go.”
“It’s been fun getting to know all the girls and getting to play again,” Carter said.
This season, the club team lost to Pittsburgh and tied once to Princeton, while winning its other games against Drexel, Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Rowan and Penn.
The club team will continue to play games in the spring semester.
“The spring semester is usually a little slower because of the weather,” Fox said. “But we’re trying to change that.”
Fox stressed that the club is open to anyone who wants to participate and practice with the team. The club is given indoor practice space to use during the winter and early spring months.
Kyle Martin can be reached at kyle.martin@temple.edu.
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