Each Tuesday, BRSN sits down for a Q & A session with the BRSN Athlete of the Week. This week, we caught up with our fourth Athlete of the Week sophomore Women’s Soccer defender/midfielder Brenna Mockler following her strong performance leading the Big Red to a 1-0 victory over Dartmouth in their final game of the season.
BRSN: Brenna thanks so much for doing this and congratulations on an amazing goal to lift your team over Dartmouth. By all accounts your shot was incredible and it was the lone goal of the game. Take us through the moments leading to the shot, what was going through your mind?
BM: Thank you! I was actually just trying to get in a good supporting position for Tess, but when she gave me the ball and I didn’t have any pressure I decided to cross it. It wasn’t particularly planned–when I looked up to cross it I saw I had a decent angle for a shot, so I shot it instead. I’ve been practicing shooting from distance a lot lately, so I guess it all just came together.
BRSN: Your goal helped the Cornell Women’s Soccer team win their 2nd game within the Ivy League Conference, marking just the first time that has happened since 2002. What does that accomplishment mean to you and the rest of your team?
BM: This was huge for our team… We’ve been working so hard to improve and we’ve lost some very close games that could have gone either way. This has been really unfortunate because it means our record doesn’t accurately show how well we’ve been playing. Beating Dartmouth felt like a definitive statement that we’ve improved a lot and can compete with anyone in the Ivy League.
BRSN: Coming into Saturday’s game Dartmouth was one of the top 2 teams in the Ivy league vying for the Championship. You had the opportunity to play spoiler and keep them out of the playoffs which you accomplished. How much were you and the team thinking about that going into the game?
BM: We definitely were aware of how our performance could affect the Ivy League Championship and it’s always fun to have the opportunity to make a difference in the league outcome, but I think in general we were more focused on what winning would mean for our team. We wanted to pull ourselves out of 8th place, we wanted to beat Dartmouth for the first time in way too many years, we wanted to continue to move this program in a positive direction and end the season on a high note.
BRSN: In general, how would you describe the way you play soccer?
BM: I like playing short combination passes–I grew up playing in NorCal on turf, and that was generally the style of play there. However, I’d say my strength is winning balls in the midfield, and I definitely enjoy winning a good 50-50 challenge.
BRSN: Now that you’ve completed your second season at Cornell, what has been your favorite part about playing soccer for the Big Red?
BM: I’d say getting the chance to play alongside such great teammates. Everyone is so talented and it’s so much fun to play with such good players. On top of that they are just awesome people, and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know them.
BRSN: What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of playing soccer?
BM: I’m a physics major, so that takes up most of my time outside of soccer. I did some really cool particle physics research here last year, and this coming spring I’ll be working on an astrophysics project, so I’m really excited about that! Outside of school and soccer I love going hiking and being outdoors, so I try to do that when I have free time.
BRSN: What are you most looking forward to for next year’s season?
BM: The chance to move up more in the Ivy League standings, and hopefully compete for the Ivy League championship.
BRSN: Thanks so much Brenna, congratulations once again!
BM: Thanks again for covering our team!
Commenti