The Athlete of the Week for Sept. 15 is sophomore soccer player Catherine Rife.
Rife has helped to lead the team to a 5-6 record a little more than halfway through the season. She has been a key contributor to the offense with 11 goals and five assists.
Last week, according to Rife, they played a rough schedule. She stated, “I didn’t score any goals, but they were some very difficult games, against very good opponents and that not only made it hard for me but it made it hard for the whole team.”
But, like her teammates, Rife said she put forth her best effort. “I think I’ve been doing as much as I can in my position to open things up,” she said.
Rife has played with the current group of seniors for two years now and many know it is hard to have to say goodbye to them when the school year is over. The last few games of the season can be very exciting but also very sad knowing it’s the last season with that group of seniors.
“It is super frustrating and very hard for me to think about the seniors leaving. They make a lot of things happen on the field and create so many opportunities for us,” Rife shared.
The seniors on this team have had a very big impact not only on Rife, but on the whole team. Rife continued, “I think everyone on the team is really upset they’re leaving because they just have taught us so much and helped everyone so much. They’re such a big influence on the team to lock in and keep us going.”
The season will be wrapping up very soon, meaning playoffs are right around the corner. Every team prepares in many different ways. Rife said the Lady Wildcats have been preparing heavily for playoffs.
“In preparation for playoffs, we’re just putting in a lot of work at practice and games; we’ve just been trying to learn from our mistakes by watching footage and implementing that stuff into practices,” Rife said.
A team’s mindset and attitude is another important factor in their success. She stated, “We always talk about attitude and effort and how important it is to have, so we’re just trying to bring up our effort level as well.”
Soccer is a very important piece in Rife’s life, and she wants it to be a part of her future. “I really want to play college soccer when I’m older. And then see how far that takes me,” she said.
Most athletes and most people have someone in their life that they look up to. For Rife it’s her older sister. She shared how her sister always keeps a positive attitude and has helped her through many stages of life and soccer.
“She’s had people bring her down and be negative and she kept going,” Rife said. “She’s been my role model since I was little and is the reason I’m playing soccer in the first place.”
Thank you to everyone who voted for Athlete of the Week and congratulations to Rife, and good luck with the rest of your season and school year.
