Women’s soccer team to spend summer in Vermillion

Many USD teams stay in Vermillion over the summer to train. The women’s soccer team is excited to remain in Vermillion during the summer to train for the upcoming season.

Junior defender Courtney Stodola stayed in South Dakota last summer and was pleased with the results.

“I definitely came in more fit than I ever have before, so I definitely do like staying here over the summer compared to going back home,” she said.

Stodola said staying in Vermillion is advantageous because the players get to work directly with their strength coach.

“I think being with our strength coach and doing his packet of stuff really helps us when it comes time to preseason, so our bodies already know the movements we’re going to be doing and we won’t be as sore,” Stodola said.

Junior forward Taylor Kelly is excited because this opportunity will help her maintain a productive schedule in the offseason.

“I’m most excited about having a schedule and being on top of of my fitness and weightlifting and just having a group of people to work with,” Kelly said. “When I’m at home, it’s a little bit harder just being by yourself. There’s a lot less you can do, and with a group, there’s more you can work on.”

Kelly said staying in Vermillion will be more beneficial than just exercising at home.

“At home, a majority of it I did was just running on trails and stuff, but here I know it’s going to be a lot more fitness on the field and more incorporated with soccer fitness,” Kelly said.

Senior goalkeeper Coral Suarez spent part of her summer in Vermillion last year and said she benefited from the experience.

“I know back at home, I trained a little bit, but not as much as I should’ve, but I think training with the girls, that competitiveness and getting my fitness back up kinda brought it back on me and prepared me for fitness tests when we got back for the fall,” Suarez said.

Even though the team will be busy practicing in the summer, Suarez said they will have opportunities to recuperate.

“During the summertime, we’ll have time for ourselves. I do believe that getting our weightlifting in and fitness and our touches on the ball will be enough, but I think also we’ll have time to ourselves to relax and maybe mingle with our teammates,” Suarez said.

One of the biggest benefits of staying in South Dakota for the summer is that the players can all train together, Kelly said.

“Being with everyone will make it a lot easier to work on things, like having people to work on with, and getting feedback from them and hearing what they need you to work on, as opposed to just being at home where it’s kind of up to you and what you think,” Kelly said.

The women’s soccer team will practice for the next few months until the regular season starts in August.