Tucson, Ariz. – Senior Hannah Stevens is in her final season with Arizona this year. The Wildcat veteran already has two goals, both coming in Sunday's 5-1 rout of the Utah Valley Wolverines. She tallied one of these goals by knocking in a header off of freshman Samantha Falasco's free kick, which she made look pretty easy considering she's over six feet tall.
"Well I have three siblings, two older," said Stevens. "When I was younger I was never really above average height, I was pretty normal. They played soccer and we were always at the field and I just stuck with it. In high school I shot up and grew so much. It was easier to keep playing soccer than to start all over and play basketball, and I think it was kind of an advantage because it's kind of rare to have a tall soccer player."
It has paid off for her. Last season Stevens had four goals and three assists from a defensive position. She has helped lead the team to the NCAA tournament twice and to breaking multiple records for win-total and overall record.
"I'm looking forward to seeing where we are going to go," said Stevens. "We went to the Round of 16 last year so that was a big high to end on, so I'm hoping we can do better than that and go far and win as many games as possible."
It's her last season, so she's surely trying to make this one count both for the team's success but also for her own memories.
"I think I will miss the team the most," said Stevens. "You don't really get the experience of a sport in any other aspect of life. I've spent so much time with all of these girls the past three years and you get to know them so well. Thinking about finishing and being done, I'm really going to miss hanging out with them."
The other major aspect of her career with Arizona has been her parents. They have been at every home game that Stevens has played in, but they recently moved to Washington.
"It's really weird because they lived in Phoenix, so they came to every home game no matter what," said Stevens. "I was just telling my teammates on Sunday night that that was the first home game where neither of my parents were there. Now it's hard for my dad to get off work and get a flight. I used to feel like an in-state kid and now I feel like an out-of-state kid. I think my parents are pretty upset because it's my senior year and now it's more challenging for them to come to games. But thankfully, they moved to Washington so they'll be able to go to the Oregon and Washington games when we play there."
Even though the Stevens' will catch the Wildcats in the northwest, they're going to miss out on the experience at the University of Arizona. The culture at Arizona games gives the Wildcats a winning advantage.
"It's pretty crazy on Friday nights when we have full stands," said Stevens. "There's just this atmosphere that puts energy into the players. My favorite part is the walk-out if you're starting. The team is all hyped cause we're about to start and then you run through the team and come out while they are calling your name and number. That's probably my favorite part about Friday night games."
Now it's your turn to Experience It Yourself at Arizona's home matches this season. You can pick up season tickets at ArizonaWildcats.com or purchase tickets at the door.
The Arizona Wildcats continue their regular season on August 26th in Lubbock, Texas against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, beginning at 7:00 p.m. MST.
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