Amanda Naeher: DIII Soccer Star

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Every kid, while growing up, wishes to play at a Division I school whether it is Rutgers, USC, Florida, Penn State, or many of the other colleges. Sometimes there is a mentality out there where people believe the “best” players only go to Division I schools. Well, soccer star Amanda Naeher definitely proves that statement to be wrong. The pass season alone she had 33 goals and 6 assists making her one of the top producers on the Messiah’s Women Soccer Team. Amanda has been kicking “grASS” on the field as a midfielder for only two years! This junior has been excelling on the field ever since she joined the team in her sophomore year of college to play as a midfielder. Her role on the field has not been ignored! Amanda along with Messiah Men’s Soccer Player, JD Binger, were named National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas NCAA Division III Women?s and Men?s Player of the Year. Amanda was the Falcon’s first-ever women’s program recipient of the Player of the Year award. She has tallied up a program record of 33 goals and five hat tricks on the year. As you can see Amanda is a very skillful and accomplished player but she is still yearning for more. This tenacious player is still on her way down Victory Road and is not stopping along the way.
Below is an interview I was able to have with this talented player.

MessGirl-How does it feel to be one of the top producers on your team with 33 goals (wow I must say ha) and 6 assists?
Amanda Naeher-It was a lot of fun to be in that position where I was able to score 33 goals this year, I did enjoy being someone that my team looked to to step up and have that be my role on the team…but honestly, my team set me up so perfectly that all i had to do was put my foot on it really and direct it toward the goal.

MessGirl-How does it feel to be ranked on NSCAA/adidas Division III Rankings # 1 and to win the NCAA DIII Championship game against Wheaton(III.)?
Amanda Naeher-It felt GREAT to beat Wheaton in that championship game…we train hard as a team and we enjoyed being able to show the country what Messiah women’s soccer was all about. It was a totally unreal feeling to win that Championship game, lots of emotion and joy all rolled up to one moment…intense, but so good!

MessGirl-Why did you decide to play in Division III instead of Division I?
Amanda Naeher-I was not that serious about soccer to want it to control my life like it does at the D1 level. I am able to be involved in a lot more than soccer here at a D3 school, such as traveling abroad and rec sports. I enjoyed the idea of a little more freedom at the D3 level.

MessGirl-Why do you like Division III?
Amanda Naeher-D3 is full of players who just straight up love to play. None of us are on scholarships for athletics, so it is the players who really just want to play because they love the game and they love their team. It is all heart at this level, whats fun is that there is so much talent as well that it is still a competitive division.

MessGirl-What are some of your future goals?
Amanda Naeher-I am majoring in Health and Physical Education, so I eventually would love to teach and coach at some level (not sure college or high school yet) I would love to stay involved in soccer as well, I just don’t know if I will be able to still play or if it will just be coaching

MessGirl-Do you think Division III doesn’t get as much credit as Division I, even though you guys have talented players also?
Amanda Naeher-I do think that we don’t get as much attention, and I think we do have just as talented of players at some levels. I think a lot of it has to do with the names of the schools and the funding they receive. It doesn’t bother me that much. Its just fun to still be able to play.

MessGirl- In the beginning, Why did you choose to play a sport at Messiah?
Amanda Naeher- I got here not planning on playing anything, but after about a week on campus I realized that I would not be able to handle not being on a team. The friends I was making were all athletes and I loved playing and loved being on a team, so I wanted to continue that while in college.

MessGirl-Do you plan on playing soccer after college?
Amanda Naeher-I would love to try. I don’t know at what level I would be able to, but I would enjoy it.

MessGirl-Who is your favorite soccer player (woman or man)?
Amanda Naeher-I loved Mia Hamm when I was growing up and always wanted to be like her haha. But based on looks and how he plays the game…Landon Donovan is one of my favorites!

MessGirl-In the season of 2006, you played basketball for Messiah, Why did you decide to play soccer instead?
Amanda Naeher-I did not get a lot of playing time on the basketball ball team and it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. Playing soccer offered more of an on the field role and allowed me to compete. It just seemed like a better fit for me with coaching staff and playing and stuff like that.

MessGirl-For the past 5 years, either you guys or Wheaton(III.) have won the championship game, is there a big rivalry between you guys because of this?
Amanda Naeher-There is definitely a big rivalry there. We know that they are one of the best programs in the country and they were the ones who beat us in the National Championship game last season, so beating them this year, especially 5-0 felt really good. It was a great feeling anyway, but it absolutely added a little something because it was against Wheaton. We do have a lot of respect for their team and their program though, it is not an ugly rivalry by any means.

MessGirl-Do you think the incoming class of ‘13 will bring something to the table for you guys next season?
Amanda Naeher-YES! we have a great class coming in with a lot to offer at many different positions. They have come to campus and hung out with our team a couple of times and already fit right in. I’m excited to see how we gel together when we all get on the field.

MessGirl-What advice do you have for players out their who are considering playing Division III soccer?
Amanda Naeher-DO IT! it really is a great experience. My advice would be to work hard and find a program that fits you and what you want to get out of it. D3 is full of many talented players, but work your way in! Get the complete college experience too, involve yourself in more than just your team (that’s the beauty of D3) But definitely play, you won’t regret it!

As you can see this girl left basketball and hasn’t turned back since, which was a smart move. Clearly she is one of the Top Ranked Players in Division III for Women’s Soccer. Writers at boxofmess.com say thanks to Amanda for the interview and we hope you excel just as much or even more next season as you did last fall! Keep up the good work
*Note to those who read this* This is proof that Division I isn’t the only Division with great soccer players ; )

Note- All interviews are done through Facebook/Myspace/Text/Email/Call/Etc. All people are REAL. No?Fakes Here

photo thanks to https://messiah.edu/athletics/08_09_fall_photos/womens_soccer/1027-naeherdribble.jpg
information thanks to http://www.messiah.edu/athletics/sports/womens_soccer/

MessGirl