This article originally appeared in the August 19, 2013 Move-In issue of The Arkansas Traveler.
Defender Allie Tripp begins her junior season with the Razorback soccer team Friday against Kansas. She led the team with four assists last season, after missing most of her freshman season with an injury. Traveler senior staff writer Andrew Hutchinson had the opportunity to catch up with Tripp and discuss her career so far, as well as the upcoming season.
In your freshman year, you were a part of the forward rotation until a knee injury ended your season. What was the rehab like to get you ready for last season?
I had the same injury in high school, so I knew what to expect, but it was a lot more intense at the college level because they want to get you back faster and make sure you stay healthy when you come back. It was pretty intense, but it was worth it.
What was it like to get back on the field for the first time after your injury?
It was overwhelming. I think the hardest part was that the coaches expected us to guide the freshmen in the backline, but I felt like I was a freshman myself. Even before I got hurt, I played forward, so I was at a new position, plus I was coming back from injury.
Against Auburn last season, you took a free kick in the 62nd minute and placed it perfectly so that Sam Wolf could score the game-winning goal. How did you feel after getting the assist on the game-winning goal?
It was a really great feeling. After playing that many minutes, you’re exhausted and you just really want to finish the game and win. It feels great to be a part of the goal, but even better to have your team score.
You also tallied two assists in the upset win over No. 18 Kentucky. What was the emotion like in the locker room after beating the first ranked opponent in school history?
The whole locker room had a great vibe to it. Everyone was excited and into it. After my freshman year when we struggled so much, getting a win like that really showed us that this program could do great things with the people we have.
Now that you’ve finished your “freshman” year, what do you think your leadership is going to be like on the team?
We have a lot of freshmen coming in, so having leaders on the team is important. There’s so many of us that are considered leaders, that I think my leadership role is as important as everyone else’s. All of the upperclassmen are going to stand out as leaders.
Last year, the team made it to the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2000. What was that experience like?
It’s something that you dream about doing when you come to an SEC school. To actually get there and play in it, even though we didn’t make it as far as we hoped, was awesome. Now that we have that under us, we know we can get there and that’s good for this season.
Now that you have played one year under Coach Hale, what are your goals this season?
We know what to expect and what (Hale) is like now. We’re excited to get to where we were last year. We know that one of his major things is “exceeding expectations” and obviously the expectations are higher this year. Getting to the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament is expected.
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