Senior Casey Thayer shines as a leader on and off the field for the Logger women’s soccer team

Students at Puget Sound are known for passion and having a variety of interests and involvements.

This is especially evident in student athletes like senior Casey Thayer (Boulder, Colo).

Thayer is known for her goalkeeping skills on the soccer team, but like many student athletes she has been involved on multiple teams at the University.

Thayer has been playing soccer since she was four but was originally recruited to play basketball at the University.

“At first I thought I would only be able to play basketball,” Thayer said. “But when the new basketball coach [Loree Payne] was hired I was told I could play both.”

Thayer would play both soccer and basketball her freshman year but ultimately chose to drop basketball her sophomore season.

Student athletes like Thayer have a unique opportunity at schools like Puget Sound to balance both school and athletics and become well-rounded students on campus. While at Division I schools student athletes are more athlete than student, this has not been the case for Thayer.

“At UPS as a DIII school it’s such an awesome and unique opportunity to have a relationship with our professors and coaches of other teams and athletic directors,” Thayer said.  “It’s hard to balance both, but an invaluable skill to manage school and athletics.”

This opportunity is what drew Thayer to Puget Sound and exemplifies how the Puget Sound experience is not just in the classroom but also on the field.

Leadership does not end on the soccer field for Thayer; she is also the head of recruiting for the  Global Medical Brigades group on campus and serves as the Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also a member of Greek Life.

Though one of Thayer’s identities on campus is that of a student athlete, it is not her only identity.

Though athletics may not be the first thing that come to mind when thinking of a liberal arts education, it provides students like Thayer with opportunities to develop leadership skills and the ability to balance multiple passions, the very essence of a liberal arts education.

Thayer is no stranger to success on and off the field. When she joined her high school team her freshman year the team won just four games, but by her senior year the team went on to win state.

At Puget Sound, Thayer has been a starting goalkeeper in most of her games the past two seasons and in the 2012 season allowed only seven goals in 549 minutes of game play. The team has won 11 straight titles and is in the middle of another successful season.

“Being able to contribute to the legacy is really special,” Thayer said.

According to Thayer one of the team’s biggest strengths is the bond between the players.

They not only spend time together on the field but eat together in the S.U.B. and spend plenty of time together on the road.

“The ability to get 30 people to get along is impressive,” Thayer said. “We all care for each other and the team.”

The Northwest Conference is competitive for soccer and games against rivals Linfield and Pacific Lutheran University will demand that women’s soccer brings their best game.

This dedication is evident for Thayer. She broke her hand at the end of warm ups before their game against Lewis and Clark on Oct. 12, but continued to play through the first half.

Thayer, thinking like a true team player, attributed her ability to play through part of the game to her team’s successful defense.

This is Thayer’s last season with women’s soccer and she hopes to see the team advance through their conference and advance on to the NCAA tournament.