Sophomores on the ISU soccer team are finding out how sweet it is to go from being a freshman to a sophomore.

“Just the feeling of not knowing who you’re playing with and the struggle to fit in with everyone else was the hardest aspect of being a freshman last year,” said sophomore center-midfielder Elise Reid.

“This year I’m not scared. Coming in as a freshman, you’re scared and you don’t know what to expect, but this year I came in with a lot more confidence.”

Reid’s feelings on her sophomore status are shared by the rest of her soccer classmates as well.

“Last year I was frazzled, I was freaking out, I was scared,” said sophomore center-midfielder Casey Bothwell. “This year I was so excited and ready for a new year.”

Defender Lauren Fader also feels more comfortable.

“Just knowing my way around and not feeling so clueless anymore is a big relief,” Fader said.

It wasn’t just soccer that had the current sophomores feeling clueless as freshmen, but also the stress of everyday college life.

“The bus system confused me a lot last year. This year I know it a lot better,” Bothwell said. “I still get confused though, so I just walk a lot.”

Goalkeeper Ann Gleason said moving out of the dorms was a highlight of growing a year older.

“Not living in the dorms is my favorite part of not being a freshman,” Gleason said. “It’s a tradition that all the freshman girls live on the same dorm floor at Tompkins-Willow, which is the eighth floor. Soccer-wise, I just feel a lot more comfortable with the team, like being able to make all kinds of jokes, where last year I was like, ‘Can I make that joke?'”

It can be hard to be yourself when you’re with a new group of people, but these sophomores have empathy for their freshman counterparts and will do what it takes to make them feel at home.

“All of us sophomores know how difficult it can be as freshmen, so we’re being very open with them,” Gleason said. “Any questions they have, we’ll answer for them. We just want to encourage them and make them feel comfortable so they can perform their best.”

Keeping the team close is a critical part of making newcomers feel welcome, Reid said.

“I definitely am going to treat them like I’ve been friends with them for a while,” Reid said. “I’m not going to look down on them. I’m going to treat them like the teammates they are because we need them.”

This year’s sophomore class has proven they are team players, which can be a key ingredient for a team’s success. Coach Rebecca Hornbacher realizes the potential in the second-year women.

“We look for them to continue to develop and challenge them to take their game to another level. They are committed to our team’s overall success and have shown that they want to contribute in any way that they can,” Hornbacher said.

The sophomore class possesses not only commitment, but also a competitive edge that could very well launch the Cyclones to the next level.

The team recently defeated Creighton 2-0 in its first exhibition game of the season, thanks to goals from Reid and senior Erin Witte.

Bothwell said the Cyclones had fun against the Bluejays and are anxious to get the season stated.

“We kicked butt pretty much,” said Lauren Odino, sophomore forward. “We fought hard for 90 minutes, which we struggled with a bit last year. This year we know we want it a lot more than we did last year, and we’re gonna go out there fighting.”