Shutout No. 13 earns Mills award
Utah Statesman: What got you interested in soccer?
Megan Mills: My brother, because he played and we were pretty close in age, so we were always competitive. I had to do everything he did.
US: What is the biggest difference between high school and college soccer?
MM: The overall speed of play and the strength of the players. The game is a lot faster, the players are a lot faster. The freshman are knocked off the ball pretty easy. They’re not used to playing these seasoned college athletes.
US: What athlete did you admire most growing up?
MM: Kenzie Hire, who played goalkeeper here before me, trained me since I was very young. I always wanted to play just like she did. We ended up going to the same high school and college, so I pretty much followed her throughout life. Even though she is not the most talented athlete, she works very hard.
US: Is it hard to balance school work and sports?
MM: Some days more than others. It’s getting kind of busy right now with tests. Being on the road is pretty hard. We travel pretty much Thursday through late Sunday night. Monday morning you have to go to class and you’re pretty much dead.
US: What are your plans after you graduate?
MM: Hopefully go to medical school. I still have a year of pre-med work. I take the [Medical College Admission Tests] in April. So, more school after school.
US: If you couldn’t play soccer, what sport would you play?
MM: Well, I almost played basketball in college, to tell you the truth. I love playing basketball, it is a totally different sport, a totally different game. I played a little bit in high school but gave it up for soccer. It was one or the other, so I went with soccer. I was a little better at it.
US: What else do you like to do in your free time?
MM: Right now, sleep. It’s all I have time for. Other than that I just like to hang out with my friends, the same things everyone else does. Hang out in Logan, it’s exciting.
US: Of your 13 career shutouts here at Utah State, which one was the most memorable?
MM: I would say last year there was a couple games, Riverside and Fullerton, when we played here. Just because they have been teams we have felt are beatable and we’ve never beaten them. It was really fun to hold them to a tie and to a win. It was really neat to know the defense did their job.
US: After you’re done here, what will you miss most about playing soccer?
MM: The team. I love these girls. They become your social life and your family. It’s great to have that the four years I have been here. I have 29 sisters everyday. That is what I am going to miss.
US: What is the most important thing you have learned playing soccer?
MM: Believing in anything you do and doing it to the best of your ability. Even when everyone else is telling us we’re going to be ninth in the conference, we’re never going to win a game and we can’t beat anybody, as long as you believe in yourself, we’ve proved to a lot of people that we could. We never gave up and got it done.
-mlglade@cc.usu.edu