KATELYN
ROBIE SPOTLIGHT10-18-02
This week, senior women's soccer player Katelyn Robie (South Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) is the subject of the Ram Spotlight, not necessarily because of her steady play on the Rams' backline that has allowed less than a goal a game, or because she is a team captain with strong leadership qualities. What is unique about Robie is that she is in her fifth year on the team and has seen the program develop from, well, the ground up. And for that, as well as overcoming an injury that cost her the 2000 season, it is possible that no other player deserves to experience the most successful campaign in the program's history more than Robie.
Currently, Robie and the Rams are on a roll with an overall record of 11-2-1, one more win than they had in 1996 (10-10), and have clinched the first winning season in the eight-year existence of women's soccer at VCU. Although the Rams lost their most recent game, a 2-1 setback to CAA power William & Mary last Monday, Robie used the game as a measuring stick for how far the program has come since her first year. "I look back and think that we had a chance to beat William & Mary the past two seasons after not even coming close to winning the first three years," she said. "One year I think they scored eight seconds into the game and then kept scoring and we never even had a chance. I tell the freshmen that they don't realize how good it is now.
"Just to know we can play with the great teams is a great feeling."
Robie arrived on campus in the fall of 1998 with a love for the game but without any expectations. "I really didn't know what to expect," Robie said. "I knew VCU was a Division I school but didn't fathom what it was like to be an athlete at this level." She found the program "disorganized and not recognized" under first-year head coach Sue Vodicka. "[Vodicka] was a nice person and good coach, but she took too much on herself, got frazzled and couldn't handle it all," she recalls. "The team was about heart more than talent and ability. We won games through shear effort."
The Rams finished 7-9-2 that year, including a CAA mark of 2-5-1, but Vodicka left VCU, creating a messy coaching situation the following year. Azure McFee, who played for VCU during the first two seasons of the program in 1995-96, was named interim coach while former men's players Erwan LeCrom and Jim Larkin also joined the coaching staff. "The coaches struggled with stepping up and taking control of the team," Robie said. "We played with a lot of heart, but with no direction." Although the Rams won their first-ever CAA Tournament game in 1999, the season was otherwise a disaster, culminating in a 3-15-2 overall record and a winless CAA campaign.
Enter Denise Schilte-Brown and Chris Brown, who came to turn the program around after stellar playing careers and a two-year stint as coaches at UMBC. "I was excited to finally have someone come in and be enthusiastic about the program," Robie said. "I didn't think much about winning at that point." Unfortunately, Robie would have to wait to play for the new coaches after suffering an injury just before the 2000 season. Robie tore ligaments and had a chipped bone in her ankle, forcing her to miss the entire 2000 season.
Robie maintained a presence on the team, attending practices and most games, and was impressed with the new attitude Schilte-Brown and Brown brought. "The practices ran smoothly with them, and Denise always scheduled team events," she said. "She was the first coach we had who was really focused on winning, and was really upset after losing. She takes it personally."
The Rams were one of the most improved teams in the nation that year with a 9-10-1 record that included advancing to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the first time. A healthy Robie returned to the field in 2001, playing in 16 games with eight starts and helping the Rams to a 7-10-3 record and another trip to the conference semifinals. This season Robie has played in all 14 games at outside back, but her contributions as a captain and leader have been equally as vital to the team's success.
"This year's team is great, they listen to what [the captains] say," Robie said. "[Fellow captain] Prue Cormie (Gold Coast, Australia/Somerset) and I are close, like best friends, and the coaches trust us and give us a lot of responsibility."
After arriving at VCU unsure of what it takes to be a successful Division I student-athlete, Robie has overcome adversity to develop into a contributor and leader on a winning team. Along with fellow senior defender Christine Koussis (Vienna, Va./Madison), Robie experienced the bad, and now is enjoying the good. "I like to take it one game at a time, but we have the ability to win the CAA," she said. "We're a powerhouse of a team and can play with anybody. I'm shooting for the third round of the NCAA's."
From 3-15-2 to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament? For Robie, that would be sweet, indeed.