Oct. 31, 2003
Soccer entered the life of Heather Saas at age five on a small field just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Young Heather was part of a recreational team called the “Braves.” Tonight, her journey ends on a much larger field three hours away in Lexington, Ky as a University of Kentucky soccer senior. It didn’t occur to Saas until much later on in her teen-age years that the sport she grew up to love would take her away from home.
“I wasn’t thinking big about soccer when I was little. But, eventually, it entered the back of my mind as a possibility. I knew if I wanted to go somewhere, I had to prove myself,” Saas said.
Saas started for three seasons at Dublin Coffman H.S. in Dublin, Ohio. She earned anumber of athletic honors and eventually a scholarship to play soccer at Kentucky.
“The coaching staff was a huge part of my decision to come to Kentucky,” Saas said.
“I had friends who had gone to Kentucky and they had grown up with Tim (Bennett) and Warren (Lipka). I was recruited by other schools where I could have played pretty quickly, but I wanted to comehere knowing that I would challenge myself.”
Life wasn’t easy for Saas upon her arrival in Lexington. A serious injury put her soccer career on hold.
“Coming into my freshman year, I had a fracture in my lower back. I was in a back brace for six months. The doctors told me that if I didn’t wear the brace that the chance existed I may never play again. So, I played all through pre-season with the back brace underneath my jerseys and my practice gear.”
The remedy seems to have been effective. Saas has played in 78 games at Kentucky, earning 27 starts with four goals and eight assists on the way.
A staple of this Kentucky team is the closeness and camaraderie among the student-athletes, something Saas will miss the most after her departure.
“I’ll always remember how close our team was. It’s only gotten closer over my four years, and we’re always there for each other. I’ll the great effort that everyone puts out on the field. We play for one another.”
