Q & A with Breana Ballard
10/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Junior midfielder Breana Ballard, who is tied for third on the Michigan State women's soccer team in assists, brings a positive attitude to the team and the field with her passion for soccer. After the Spartans' 1-0 victory over Iowa, Ballard took a few moments to talk about her role on the Spartans and why she loves playing Big Ten soccer.
On how the team prepared for Sunday's game...
We came into it thinking we had nothing to lose, because we really don't. We just need to keep fighting and hope that we can win our next four games and get into the Big Ten Tournament. We came in with a positive attitude and need to keep that.
On what her personal and team goals are as the team heads toward the postseason...
For the whole team, I hope we can finish out our season, whether it's going to be over in four games or we continue on, playing as hard as we can. We need to play hard and have no regrets. Hopefully, we can make the Big Ten Tournament, win it and go on to the NCAA Tournament. We have a good team and we can do it. For me personally, I have very similar goals, to just work hard and have no regrets.
On her most memorable moment as a Spartan...
Playing with a great group of girls. We are all really close and we play each game for each other. I love being so close with everyone on the team, and having great memories with all of them.
On being a team leader in assists...
That's a good category to lead in because I like to be able to help other people score goals and just help out on the field.
On what challenges her on the field...
Scoring goals is the hardest part because they are so hard to come by in college soccer. In high school, it's easier to score goals and you can score a lot. They are extremely difficult to come by in college, though, and that makes being a forward a big challenge.
On Big Ten soccer...
Everyone is so competitive and everyone comes to play. When we play at the beginning of the season, we play smaller programs. You can tell the difference the first time we play a Big Ten team. It's really competitive and everybody wants to win.
On her favorite opponents...
In the Big Ten, they're all very similar. All of the games could go either way, so I really look forward to the Big Ten season. Every game is competitive and everybody wants to win.
On how the team will prepare for the last three regular season games...
We're going to practice and work really hard this week like we have been. Luckily, Sunday, we got out with a win. We need these next three games coming up, so we'll just work hard. Hopefully, it will pay off for us.
By Sara Gutowski, MSU Sports Information Student Assistant
