Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sarah Robbins doesn’t appear to be at any disadvantage as the Kansas soccer team scrimmages for its preseason practices, but at 17, Robbins is the youngest player on the squad. She doesn’t mind the distinction, though — it’s one that she’s used to. She spent the summer in her hometown of Montreal playing with women nearly twice her age in the USL Women’s League.
“It doesn’t really feel like I’m the youngest because it’s not something I think about all the time,” Robbins said. “I like playing with older girls and girls with more experience who can teach me what they know.”
Even senior defender Estelle Johnson wasn’t aware of the age gap through the first week of practice.
“I didn’t even know that she was the youngest until yesterday when we were driving to paintballing and Coach had to sign her waiver because she’s not 18 yet,” Johnson said.
Other than signing the paintball waiver, coach Mark Francis hasn’t had to help too much with Robbins’ adjustment to college soccer.
“This environment obviously is tough, but she’s handled it well, I think because of her experience in those types of situations where she’s playing with really good players,” Francis said.
What Robbins lacks in age, she certainly makes up for in experience. Since she began playing soccer with her older sisters at 4 years old, she’s worked her way to the top of Canada’s youth soccer program.
In her club team, she served as captain for four years. Her abilities impressed scouts at the regional and provincial levels and earned her a spot in Quebec’s national training program at age 14. She attended school four hours a day and trained for the rest of the afternoon.
It was at Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal that Kansas first noticed Robbins. Francis sent assistant coach Antoinette Love to scout players at the training center.
“We’d never seen her play before, but we saw her there and really liked her,” Francis said. “We were really looking for a center midfield player, so we contacted her and she came down for a visit.”
After that meeting in January, Robbins didn’t consider any other options for college. A visit to Lawrence in March left no doubt in her mind that she wanted to play at Kansas, although it’s a far cry from the busy city she grew up in.
“It’s really different, it’s a different town compared to Montreal,” Robbins said. “It’s a lot more laid-back. But I’ve got the other girls because it’s all a big change for us.”
Playing soccer in the United States at the university level had been Robbins’ dream since elementary school. Even with her impressive resumé, she hasn’t taken the opportunity for granted.
“I’ve always dreamt about playing in the States, but when it comes to the time where you actually have to crack down and work hard to get here, it’s tough. I’m definitely proud that I got here,” Robbins said.
Now that Robbins has arrived, she and the other incoming freshmen are adjusting to Division I soccer. The team hopes Robbins is able to step up and contribute as early as possible during the season.
“I think that one position we’re kind of lacking at is defensive midfield, so hopefully she’ll gain enough confidence to step up and fill that gap for us,” Johnson said.
For now, Robbins is focused on improving and earning that spot in the starting lineup. But she also has a loftier goal for the future: a spot on Canada’s Under-20 World Cup team for 2012.
In the meantime, there are slightly more pressing issues. “I’m really nervous about classes, especially being the youngest one here,” Robbins said with a slight grimace. “But I’ve got lots of help, so I’m not too scared about that.”
— — Edited by Samantha Foster
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