Hawaii Pacific University’s Women’s soccer team has a promising season ahead of them. Following a disappointing season in the fall of 2023 going 1-9-5, they look to take the steps towards a winning season under head coach Adria Borras. I was lucky enough to sit down with Graduate student, Elise Borys who is in her second year at Hawaii Pacific University. Elise is a center midfielder and is a natural leader on the women’s soccer team. She is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and is a transfer student from Charleston Southern University. Wanting to understand the steps that the lady sharks are taking to have a successful season and what her journey looked like to get to HPU, I asked Elise a few questions.
Question: What first inspired you to play soccer, and how has your passion for the sport evolved over time?
Answer: Originally my parents made me play soccer when I was three years old, so I don’t really remember much of when I first started playing. They really did have a way for me to get my energy out and tire me out. But over time I fell in love with the game and loved all the people that I met within the game. It really has turned into my peace and when I am out on the field I feel like I don’t think about the issues going on in my life and I can just focus on the game.
Question: Can you describe your journey to playing at the college level? What challenges did you face along the way?
Answer: My recruitment journey was a little different than most peoples. I started emailing colleges my Junior year of high school. It was about later in my junior year when I decided I didn’t even want to play soccer in college and I just wanted to focus on my academics. But my senior year I played in a showcase and A college coach was really interested in me and wanted me to be a part of his program. I got a good scholarship and it made me feel comfortable to go to college and play soccer. Like I would be a fool to not take his offer. But after a couple of years I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in the same place I was at and I kind of wanted a change of scenery. Because of Covid I got an extra year of eligibility and so I reached out to Hawaii Pacific and they liked what they saw and They decided to give me a chance. Some challenges that I have faced are playing in college during Covid, although I did get another year of eligibility it kinda screwed up all of my original plans. I also tore my ACL right after commiting to HPU which was very hard on me mentally because it was like having to learn to walk again and delayed my plans yet again.
Question: How has your relationship with your teammates developed throughout the season? What role does team chemistry play in your success?
Answer: Coming in hurt as a grad transfer was definitely a weird experience for me. I never had a long term injury where I wasn’t playu=ing everyday so I was really just trying to do everything that I could off the field and helping the younger players out and sharing my experience and what I have learned through my career. But now moving into the season I feel like all of our relationships are getting stronger. Not just between me and my teammates but with everyone. It is super important to build those relationships and build that chemistry for any team. I truly believe that an OK team with amazing chemistry will be an amazing team with bad chemistry.
Question: Can you walk me through your game-day routine? How do you prepare mentally and physically for a match?
Answer: My game day routine starts the night before. I eat the same meal the night before every game. I eat pasta because it prepares my body with carbs and energy. Then on the actual game day,if it is a night game we will usually show up at 4pm. I will wake up usually at 8am and make a high protein breakfast so i can have sustained energy throughout the match. I continually snack throughout the day because I don’t want to have a big meal right before the game, so I will have a light lunch and just snacks. I stretch a lot because of my previous injury and just make sure my body is ready to go. I also have a specific playlist of songs that I like to listen to on the way to the field and there are two songs that I have to play before getting out of the car. And then I call my mom if I have any pre-game jitters because she always knows what to say to me to get me to calm down.
Question: What steps is your team taking to have a successful season this year:
Answer: We have added a lot of new weapons while also having veterans from previous years. Our practices are more engaged and we have changed our beliefs from just trying to compete to we are going to win. We all believe in each other and we all trust each other. We have prepared and trained hard in practice so when we are in the game we can rely on each other and rely on our training. I am very excited to see what happens this season and I truly believe it will be a good year for us.
Elise and the sharks start conference play on September 28th against University of Hawaii-Hilo, in Hilo. I am just as excited as they are to see how they do this season.