Tahnai Annis- Fierce Young Gator

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??Great things are accomplished by talented people who believe they will accomplish them.?~ Warren G. Bennis
And isn’t he right…especially when it applys to University of Florida’s Women Soccer team’s own player, Freshman Tahnai Annis. This 5′1 Mid-fielder has only 1 year of college soccer experience under her belt and she has already managed to achieve many goals. On SoccerBuzz.com she was nominated for Freshman All-America second-team, Southeastern Conference All-Freshman selection, She was third among the Gators with 22 points and shared second with four gamewinning goals, second among the Gators with nine goals which is the the most goals by a Gator freshman since Abby Wambach turned in 19 in 1998. She is only a freshman and has already achieved many objectives and will accomplish more in the future.
I was lucky enough to be able to interview this Young Gator.

MessGirl- As a Freshman, Why did you pick University of Florida? What about UF pulled you in?
Tahnai Annis-I chose UF because I loved the campus and the diversity of the coaching staff. I had never been coached under a woman before and I like Becky. The team was very nice to me and the athletes are treated very well here at UF

MessGirl- How does it feel knowing that you are second for the most goals by a Gator freshman since Abby Wambach in 1998?
Tahnai Annis- It is definitely an honor to be compared to Abby because she is a soccer icon. It is good motivation for me

MessGirl- How did you feel when you scored your first collegiate goal?
Tahnai Annis- It was an adrenaline rush and very exciting for me. Getting that first goal under my belt gave me confidence to continue to score goals from then on

MessGirl- What are some of your strengths? What are some aspects of your game that you think you should improve on to help the Gators have a better season next year?
Tahnai Annis-My strengths are combining with people in the attack, and my creativity and vision on the field. I like to think I am a threat in the air as well. I need to improve in the physical aspect because I am so small I get muscled off of the ball. Also, if I can improve my first touch on the ball I will be much more effective

MessGirl-What team would you like to play again next season and why?
Tahnai Annis- Texas A & M and beat them, they were not better than us when we lost to them in the Sweet 16

MessGirl-You guys got to the Sweet 16 playing against Texas A&M (Good Job by the way!), Do you think you guys could surpass that stage possibly playing in the Final 8 or Final 4?
Tahnai Annis- We are very capable of doing so. Hopefully with the incoming class of talented freshman they will come in and mesh well so that we continue to progress forward

MessGirl-What are some of your goals for Gators 2009 season?
Tahnai Anis-Get past the Sweet 16 and win both the SEC regular season as well as the tournament. I want to personally, get better and impact even more than I did last season

MessGirl- For the 2008 season, on NCAA Women’s Soccer RPI you guys were ranked #8 behind powerhouses such as UNC, Notre Dame, Stanford,UCLA, Portland, Florida St., and Boston College. What ranking do you plan on getting to next year and how will you go about trying to get closer to the top?
Tahnai Annis- I hope to get in the top 5 in the country. If we stay together as a team and not lot trivial things get in the middle of what we are trying to do we will be able to do that. We can’t be our own worst enemy

MessGirl- Who is your favorite professional soccer player (male or female) and why?
Tahnai Annis- My favorite player right now is probably Marta from Brazil, and currently on Los Angeles Sol. I love that she plays like a guy and is so small and takes on 2 defenders all of the time. She made our whole U.S team look silly in the World Cup as well

MessGirl- The players of the incoming class of ‘13 have much experience with the National Team, Do you think they will bring something to the team that can help you guys have a better season?
Tahnai Annis- I think if they can get acclimated quickly to the college atmosphere then their talent will definitely help our team

As you can see this Gator already took a bite full out of success but is still hungry and yearning for more.In order to live you have to continue to grow; Tahnai will continue to grow as a player and we look forward to seeing that. Writers at boxofmess.com wish her good luck for her 2009 fall season and we will stay in touch.

(information thanks to UF athletic website and more)
* Note- All interviews are done through Facebook/Myspace/Text/Twitter/Email. All athletes/musicians are REAL. No fakes here!

MessGirl