Alli Haeussler – Midfielder

Four-year-old Alli Haeussler was an excitable child. Not unlike most small children, young Alli possessed an abundance of energy. Not unlike most parents, Alli?s mother and father looked for ways to keep their exuberant daughter occupied. So, they turned to soccer.

?My mom and dad needed me to get rid of all my energy and find something to do,? Haeussler said. ?I started playing soccer and I haven?t stopped since.?

Years down the road, Alli developed her skills and attracted the attention of college recruiters. She sifted through the offers and found a welcome destination in Lexington.

?I wanted to be close enough to home that my family could see me play. Kentucky was a top soccer program and I wanted to be a part of UK?s success.?

Haeussler arrived in Lexington and contributed right away, starting seven of 20 matches and contributing two goals and three assists during her freshman season. Her role increased the following season when she started 19 of 21 matches and chipped in two goals and two assists. However, a back injury sidelined her for all of 2002, leaving her wondering whether she could return to the pitch.

?Hurting my back was my biggest adversity I?ve overcome here,? Haeussler said. ?It made me work that much harder to get the job done on the field. I had to be smart about the injury, but I also had to work through the pain.?

?She?s still fighting through the discomfort of her injury, but her love and dedication for this program has been stronger than that pain,? UK Coach Warren Lipka said. ?She became a steady and consistent performer to have on the field.?

Alli worked her way back into form in time for a 2003 return, her junior season. She started 13 of 19 matches and contributed one goal and one assist. Having started every match this season, Alli leads the team with game-winning goals at Cincinnati and against South Carolina. She also is tied for the team lead in goals with four heading into tonight?s finale.

The fight to return has been a worthwhile battle for Haeussler.

?I didn?t think I would be able to come back at the time, given the extent of the injury. I?m proud of the fact that I was able to get through two more seasons.?

Haeussler is on track to graduate in December with degrees in marketing and finance.

Jessica Laswell – Defender

Her soccer journey began in Lexington, though not at the University of Kentucky. As a senior at Lexington?s Paul Dunbar H.S., UK senior defender Jessica Laswell elected to continue her soccer sojourn in a different setting by heading for Bloomington, Ind., and Indiana University. Laswell started four matches as a true freshman, but a coaching change prompted her to select a new collegiate destination. For those who say you can?t go home again, Laswell says otherwise.

?I thought it would be nice to play around people I knew, I knew it would be fun to play in a home atmosphere,? Laswell said. ?It was challenging to come to a new place after adjusting elsewhere, plus there were 34 girls on the team when I came to Kentucky. But, it all worked out great.?

Laswell received playing time in only two matches during her sophomore season at Kentucky, but a productive ensuing off-season provided a more significant role in her junior year. Laswell started all 19 matches in the Kentucky backfield and contributed two goals and three assists. Her second-half goal against No. 8 Duke forced overtime and an eventual 2-2 tie.

Laswell has appeared in 16 matches in 2004 and assisted on one of Kentucky?s eight goals against Western Kentucky. Nearing the end of a solid Wildcat career, Laswell closes out her soccer career with an air of satisfaction.

?I had the opportunity to play for a really good NCAA Division I university here, and not a lot of people get to do that. It takes a lot of hard work. It?s something you can tell your kids and grandchildren about years from now.?

?She endured the adversity of coming into a new team and trying to establish herself,? UK Coach Warren Lipka said. ?She has been successful on the field as well as off the field. She has helped us in the back and even more so, is helping us now to finish up the season in the back.?

The SEC Academic Honor Roll member is on track to earn a bachelor?s degree in biology next spring and has an eye on veterinary school for the fall of 2005.

Danielle Slupski – Midfielder

Five goals, six assists, 16 points, two ACL injuries, one meniscus removed, one game-winning goal?

?And one courageous midfielder.

Danielle Slupski is not one to make excuses. She won?t dwell on the heartaches and the misfortune. She could have left the game she began playing at age five in Columbus, Ohio after her first tear of her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in high school?or her second tear at UK?.or her third during a promising junior season. The doctors can repair ligaments or remove a meniscus, but they can?t take away the passion for the game. After all, there?s always another match to play.

?The injuries are just part of a life lesson,? Slupski says. ?Things won?t always go the way you expect them to go. It?s not fair, but you deal with it.?

UK Coach Warren Lipka cites the example Slupski sets for the team.

?What can you say about a person that has had 3 ACL injuries, has had her meniscus removed and refuses to give up? She has so much character, drive and inner strength that you don?t see in a lot of people,? Lipka said.

?She?s here for the love of not only the game but for the love of her teammates and the love of this school. You couldn?t ask for anything more from a person than what she has given us.?

Slupski will take on a new challenge away from the soccer field beginning in January. After a sterling undergraduate performance in the classroom, the two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll will enroll in classes at UK in hopes of becoming a physician?s assistant. Her time as a full-time soccer player may be coming to a close, but Slupski won?t soon forget her student-athlete experiences.

?The coaching staff taught me what life is all about and of its ups and downs. I?ve built unique relationships with a great group of people, and I?ll never experience something like this again. I?ll always remember all the people and the lifelong friendships I?ve made.?

Laura Wendling – Midfielder

There was an unmistakable roar emanating from the stands near the visitor?s goal every time the young lady wearing No. 9 in blue touched the ball on a warm, mid-September night in Cincinnati. The ruckus wasn?t created by the fans of the homestanding Cincinnati Bearcats. After all, they were outnumbered by people wearing blue that evening. They also were outnumbered by people from nearby Edgewood, Ky., about 15 miles south of the UC campus. The friends and family of UK senior midfielder Laura Wendling were welcoming their hometown girl with open arms.

?It was awesome!,? Laura will tell you. ?I didn?t know my whole family was coming. They made t-shirts that read, ?Laura Rocks!?. It was a big surprise.?

Laura rewarded her excited entourage with her first career goal late in the match to cap an easy 3-0 Wildcat win.

?I wanted to score at least one goal before I graduated, and it happened to be that match. It was one of the best nights of my life.?

Her story is one of hard work, patience and determination. Laura dealt with and overcame anorexia as a senior at Notre Dame Academy and as a redshirt freshman at Kentucky.

?I was overtraining when I was preparing to come to Kentucky. I became run down,? Wendling said. ?Once I came to UK, I had to build my strength and rebuild my muscles in order to play. I?m at the point now where I?ve gotten my strength back.?

Wendling saw action in nine matches a season ago and has played in all but one match this season. UK Coach Warren Lipka values the effort Wendling brings to the pitch.

?Laura came in and fought her way from being a walk-on to a major part of the team in her senior year. She never gave up trying. She kept at it and kept asking me in our individual meetings, ?If I keep working hard, am I going to have that chance?? It?s a statement for someone that never gave up and got herself to the point where she deserved to be on the field.?

Despite the adversity, Wendling wouldn?t change a thing.

?Getting on the field has been a rewarding experience. I wanted to wear the jersey and get out there and play. To do what I really love to do made it 10 times better.?

Erin Witchey – Defender

Pardon Erin Witchey for being a little excited on the days of Sept. 23, 2001 and Aug. 22, 2003. It seems the Kentucky opponent on those days hit home for this Columbus, Ohio native. The outcomes of those matches evolved just the way she had hoped.

?We beat Ohio State twice. It was great!,? Witchey said.

For Witchey, one of three graduates of Columbus? St. Francis DeSales H.S. on the Kentucky team, turning down her hometown school was as routine as a slide tackle.

?I came to Lexington for a weekend and had a really good visit,? Witchey said. ?I liked all the girls on the team and the coaching staff, and UK wasn?t too far away from home. In the end, it was an easy choice.?

The move to Lexington has been beneficial for Witchey and for Kentucky. She totaled two goals and two assists in 19 games during her freshman campaign. After sitting out the following year due to a severe ankle injury, she would start every match in 2002 and 2003, chipping in three assists and two goals, one of which was a game winner at Alabama. Witchey?s consecutive-start streak progressed to 49 matches midway through 2004, but an ankle injury sidelined her for the Florida match three weeks ago, ending the streak.

Witchey has been as proficient in the classroom as she has been dependable on the field. She is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and was inducted into UK?s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character last spring.

UK Coach Warren Lipka is grateful for Witchey?s contributions to Kentucky soccer.

?Erin is a player who has fought through physical adversity and has learned and grown a lot, as a result. She became one of our captains and is a terrific leader, not only on the field but off the field. She has contributed everything to help us succeed.?

Erin is on track to earn a business management degree in December and plans to enroll in medical school.