Greenwood Soccer: An Oral History

The Greenwood Women’s Soccer Program has seen its ups and downs, like all of the sports teams but this past season they claimed their highest title possible. In November of 2019 the girls soccer team brought home the State Championship after years of hard work and dedication. The team of 25 began working in July with one goal in mind– the state title. The following manuscript is from an interview with four of the ten seniors on the team. Those interviewed were Anna Haddock, Anne Logan Perkins, Alyson Kaelin, and Autumn Wiles. 

The manuscript follows not only the most recent season but the past six years of the Greenwood/Drakes programs. These players discuss their pasts in soccer, fondest memories, greatest accomplishments and their plans for the future. 

Ellie Ramsing (Interviewer): First I’m just going to ask you to introduce who you are and just like say your name. You’re all seniors, so I guess you don’t have to do grades.

Anna Haddock: Anna Haddock. 

Anne Logan Perkins: Anne Logan Perkins.

Alyson Kaelin: Alyson Kaelin. 

Autumn Wiles: Autumn Wiles.

Ellie Ramsing: Okay. And the first question is how long have you been playing soccer? Like in general?

Anna Haddock: I’ve been playing since I was three.

Anne Logan Perkins: Three or four.

Alyson Kaelin: Three or four.

Autumn Wiles: Since first grade.

Ellie Ramsing: Okay. and then how long have you been playing soccer for Greenwood, like the Greenwood/Drake’s program.

Anna Haddock: I’ve been playing since seventh grade.

Anne Logan Perkins: Me too, seventh grade.

Alyson Kaelin: I’ve played for four years.

Autumn Wiles: I started playing when I was a freshman.

Ellie Ramsing: Okay. What is your fondest memory of this season?

Anna Haddock: Probably winning state. Or I think when we went to the Zionsville tournament that was pretty cool because we beat really good teams and that was kind of our first challenge. It was really, really hot that day. I remember we were all kinda miserable, but we fought for it and did well.

Autumn Wiles: So I really liked the Western soccer camp that we went to this summer. Like we stayed the night for the first time. Being there as a team and I thought that really helped us. Anna Haddock: Like we had a really fun dance party in the room at the Western camp.

Autumn Wiles: And even freshman were like busting it down.

Ellie Ramsing: What is the fondest memory from all of your seasons at Greenwood?

Anna Haddock: I think the Gatlinburg trip last year was really so much fun. We just like off the field more of I think we got a lot closer. Like our class especially, it was kind of the breakthrough for us. But that was a really fun trip just because we did a lot of stupid things like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Autumn Wiles: I liked last season. So our junior season it was the regional championship game against Bowling Green in Barren County. I think that I think it is probably my, besides State obviously, but like, the bench was not silent a single second of that game. And people who didn’t even play were like, just as into it as the people who played the full 90 minutes.

Ellie Ramsing: Going into this season, did you honestly think that the team would win the State Championship? 

All Girls: No. No. 

Anna Haddock: I’m not trying to be like, I didn’t have confidence in us, but we lost a lot last year. 

Anne Logan Perkins: I thought it was going to be a fun season and like all my years here, I thought if we were going to win State, it was going to be last year. 

Anna Haddock: Yeah, I think we, we didn’t, we lost, again, we lost a lot and we weren’t nearly as experienced but the people like stepped up a lot better than we thought they would. 

Autumn Wiles: People thought we had the mental capacity to win it. I just, if I’m being honest did not think we had like physically what it took or this like at all. Yeah. All these other teams had been to like the championship game like four years and we’ve never made it past like the elite eight. 

Ellie Ramsing: What is your greatest accomplishment while playing at Greenwood? 

Anna Haddock: Winning state? 

Ellie Ramsing: Like individual accomplishments, like team accomplishment would probably be state obviously, but like individual accomplishment, like the one tiny point that you were most proud of for your Greenwood career. 

Autumn Wiles: Okay. All right. Mine would be coming back from two knee surgeries because after the first one I was motivated, but then the second one I was like, seriously? Like, are you kidding me? That’s just like inside of soccer though. I have grown so much as a person, like physically changed and mentally changed and I’m thankful for it though. Like I would, I mean I wouldn’t do it again, but like I would not change it if I went back. 

Alyson Kaelin: Mine would be my progression from freshman to senior year because just after last year, just losing confidence in myself this year I really had a breakthrough and just pushed through and really worked on my soccer. 

Anne Logan Perkins: I feel like learning, like seeing myself mentally change on the field, like learning how to take the situations and see them differently. I feel like as I got older I saw things a lot differently and it helped me be a better teammate and be a better player. 

Anna Haddock: Mine would probably be being captain of the team and learning how to be a better one throughout the years that I was one and like kind of just using the opportunity to lead leaders. 

Ellie Ramsing: What are your plans for the future? 

Anna Haddock: I will be playing Auburn University soccer. So kind of whatever comes with that.

Ellie Ramsing: And what are you planning on studying? 

Anna Haddock: I’m studying business management but that could change, but that’s what I plan to study right now. 

Anne Logan Perkins: Okay. I’m going to Western and I’m going to study in the medical field, I want to be a nurse and ethicist. So I’ll major in nursing. 

Alyson Kaelin: I’m also going into the medical field. I’m going to major in nursing and I guess eventually I will become a nurse practitioner. At Western. 

Autumn Wiles: I’m going to Western this fall as well. And I’m studying entrepreneurship and facility and recreation management and I’m hoping to still be involved with soccer, like intramural. And I’ve been looking into a couple refugee programs that I can volunteer with. Just keep playing cause I love the sport. 

Ellie Ramsing: One word to describe this past season. 

Anne Logan Perkins: Unforgettable. 

Autumn Wiles: Probably life-changing. 

Anna Haddock: Like overwhelming in like a good way. Like really just shockingly positive.

Anne Logan Perkins: For every aspect not just winning State. 

Autumn Wiles: This is kind of a different one but enabling, because we kind of like showed people what was possible. 

Ellie Ramsing: Any last words or like last stories, anything that you would like future soccer players or just Greenwood in general to hear? 

Anna Haddock: I would say like advice, something that was really important for us was when we met in the spring, we set what we wanted to do and we stuck with it. Like including everyone. I think that we did a really good job of that. And like, I know some underclassmen spoke on that. And I think that made a really big difference in the end. Cause last year we had the players to do it. But I don’t think like, I think it could have been the season wasn’t really taken in the right way, like off the field. So I think the off the field, like relationships are just as important as anything on the field. 

Autumn Wiles: Yeah. I think it’s like one thing to set a goal, but it’s another thing to actually like pursue it and make it happen. And so that’s what we did. I think that was the big difference in previous teams compared to this team in my senior class made it happen. 

Alyson Kaelin: I would say just don’t underestimate yourself and others, you could definitely always improve, but just make sure you’re confident in yourself and in your teammates. That’s something you really big on this season too. Just trusting in each other and that’s what made it happen. 

Anne Logan Perkins: So yeah, I agree with all that. And just like putting the team before yourself, like in everything, like just like make sure that whatever you’re doing will help the team and like not benefit just yourself. 

Autumn Wiles: Think also, remember, like no matter how far you go in your season or like how well of a season you have, like it’s, that’s not exactly like everything you’re going to remember. Like you’re going to remember how close you were with your teammates and the memories that you make with each other. 

Anna Haddock: I will go off kind of what Anne Logan said, like in the past, we’ve worried a lot about playing time and stuff. And I think this year that really wasn’t nearly as much of a concern. I think we were all like, definitely all in for the team. 

Ellie Ramsing: Okay. Well thank you all so much for doing this.

The takeaways from this article are plenty. Spend time with the people around you, try to make friends, and the relationships with those around you will last longer than the memory of holding the trophy. This group of girls are some of the most caring, compassionate, and considerate people you will meet and they will be missed by the Greenwood soccer community.