The 'intelligent' game

Tigers captain Jeanette Huck takes the ball up the field. (Nick Pearce Photo)

In soccer, it’s called game intelligence: the ability to interpret a situation on the field and quickly execute a mentally prepared move.

There’s certainly no shortage of intelligence among the players of the Tigers women’s soccer team. More than half of the players on the women’s soccer roster—15—were named Academic All-Canadians (AAC), achieving an 80 per cent average or a 3.43 GPA during the 2009-10 academic year.

That fact was just one of many achievements highlighted at the 12th annual Dalhousie Academic All-Canadian Luncheon held Wednesday, Nov. 17 in the McInnes Room. In total, 96 student athletes made the prestigious Academic All-Canadian list, a Dalhousie record. As well, star basketball player Alex Legge—with a 4.27 GPA—was named among the top-8 Academic All-Canadians in the country.

Taryn McKenna, a second-year arts student and keeper for the Tigers, says she actually does better and is more motivated when soccer is in season during the first three hectic months of the fall semester. The team, which placed second in the regular season, just returned from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoffs at Acadia, although didn’t make it to the championship game.

“It’s very intense, but it’s actually easier to get your work done when we’re all in it together,” says Ms. McKenna, a religious studies major from Oakville, Ont.

Midfielder Kate MacDonald, who cracked the list for the first time, says she figured out the right balance of athletics and academics in her fourth year—and her teammates were a big help.

They practiced every weekday from 5 to 7 p.m., and then, after dining together, would head over en masse to the library. “That commitment carried over to everyone,” says Ms. MacDonald, from Enfield, N.S. “We were motivated to do well for ourselves and as a team.”

Ensuring that the players performed well, on the pitch and in their studies, was a priority for Coach Jack Hutchison. “He made sure we had study rooms available when we were away for games, he’d get us in touch with tutors if we needed it and he’d excuse us from practice if we had to study or finish class assignments,” says Ms. MacDonald. “He understands we’re here for school first.”

Team captain Jeanette Huck, who credits effective time management for her third appearance on the AAC list, credits Coach Hutchison with recruiting players who realize that varsity soccer isn’t solely about being able to dribble up the field and make passes. “The players coming into the program are well-rounded and really hard workers.”

Ms. Huck, a commerce student, and Ms. MacDonald, a kinesiology major, were also named to AUS All-Star teams.