Dear Neusport,

I just finished my senior soccer season at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. My team managed to clinch the Big Sky Championship for the first time in school history by beating Weber State 2-1 in the final. We went to the NCAA tournament playing No.2 Portland in the first round. The experience was amazing and the atmosphere at UP was more than we could have asked for. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but I scored my only goal of the season in the game! It was not enough, however, and we lost 6-1. With me being the only senior leaving my team NAU will be a great force in the NCAA tournament again next year. I will be graduating in May 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. I have high hopes of becoming a school counselor. I am looking into a Master’s Degree program possibly at NAU.

This past May, I had the opportunity to go to Europe with my soccer team at NAU. We went to Belgium, Holland, and Germany. I was there for 9 days. We got to play four club teams. Two German teams and two Dutch teams. Soccer over there is amazing. It was one of the most amazing times of my life. We also traveled all over and saw many sights. That trip brought us closer together. We went to Dortmund, Germany and saw a professional match. It was crazy, and we ate brawts and got many souvenirs. The food wasn’t the best but it was good. We went to a winery in Germany and tasted all the wines. We got to buy some and take it back to the U.S. In Holland we saw the WWII Netherlands American Cemetery. That was inspirational and one of the best sights I saw in Europe.

I played for Neusport from when I was 11. First for Coach John Capurro and Second with Tom Amick and Ed Brown. Tom took us when we were 13 and coached us until our U19 year. He has been a big inspiration for me. He worked us hard and disciplined us as needed. Many of our girls went on to play college and I think that says a lot about Tom and Ed. It is because of him I stuck with soccer and I am where I am now. I remember having to make many sacrifices to be a Division 1 athlete, but I was rewarded. I think dedicating yourself as much as possible during your teen years will get you to the next level.

What I liked most about being with Neusport was that the club was well-known and we got invited to many big name tournaments. We got to travel to Indiana one year when I was in high school. Tom knows a lot about Indiana and we got to see Indiana University. That is where I got noticed. After that tournament I had a letter waiting for me from NAU. I must say that playing for Neusport and playing for Tom were the best years of my life. They weren’t always the easiest but they were the most fun!

Neusport taught me to always show good character. What you do when nobody is watching is the most important. Your character is supposed to be a reflection of you. Soccer is a hard sport to play. You must be in shape and Tom taught me that. I can’t forget all the times Ed drove us to the tournaments and where we needed to be. After all the those trips, I knew how to budget money and I knew how to travel, so traveling in college was easy. I also learned how to be disciplined when playing and I learned the skills needed to go on to the next level. More than anything, I made great friends and had a lot of fun.

As I said before, Neusport gave me many great experiences. From State Cup, to Regionals, To Both Surf Cups, to any California invitational, I do not have a favorite memory. Any memory I have with my old team was the best. I loved every minute of being with Neusport. I had many laughs and many cries. One memory that does stick out is going to Surf Cup every year and one year we took 3rd -- it was awesome.

I think overall I had a successful career at NAU. I am a three-time All-Big Sky All-Academic...three-time Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award recipient...a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)...Secretary for SAAC from 2007 to present. I feel that it was important for me to get involved in the school. I enjoy being in SAAC and I feel that it has helped our Athletic Department for the past couple years. I played in 56 games with 21 starts from 2005-2007...amassed 34 shots with 10 on goal...totaled one goal and six assists...a very important honor for me was being selected team captain this year by all my teammates. I had so much fun this year at NAU its easily the best year in college. With the support of my mom and dad I could not have made it through. They were there for me every step of the way.

Kayla Bauder aka “KB”
Defender/Center Midfielder