Oct. 7, 2010
Preview of Friday's Army-Navy game
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Senior women's soccer forward Carissa Youker has a knack for scoring big goals. Youker has come through time after time when Navy needs someone to deliver and halfway through her senior year, she ranks second in school history in game-winning goals. She has clinched a Patriot League Championship and has scored goals in games against Army, Miami and Texas.
But soccer is just a part of Youker's life at the Naval Academy, and like her clutch goal scoring, she is making her time in Annapolis count.
The bigger picture
"I came to the Naval Academy to play soccer," said Youker. "But since I've been here it's become something a lot bigger than that, a lot more important than that."
A turning point for Youker came in the summer after her sophomore year.
"When I did Protramid, I realized there was a bigger picture, there's something more than just soccer. That's when I started getting excited about having a career outside of soccer when I graduated."
Protramid is a three-week summer training course that gives rising juniors an in-depth introduction into aviation, submarines and Marine Corps communities.
"Then signing the two for seven definitely just kind of solidified what Protramid did for me. I signed my two for seven not just to continue playing soccer but for the bigger picture of what I am here for."
Part of Youker's bigger picture will result in her being commissioned as an ensign in the Navy in May. The two for sevens ensured her commitment to her remaining two years at the Academy and for five years of active duty after graduation. She is putting in for a service assignment of surface warfare.
Youker is also making the most of the academic aspect of the Naval Academy. She will earn a bachelor's degree in international relations and posted a 3.1 grade point average last semester.
"Carissa is here for a bigger reason than just soccer and she knows that," said head coach Carin Gabarra. "Soccer is obviously a huge part of our players' lives and a big part of what they do while they're here. We want it to be that way, but we also know that they are moving on to bigger and better things when they graduate and Carissa has always embraced that."
This past summer, Youker served as an operations detailer for Plebe Summer. She made daily schedules and supervised the plebes in her company, putting to use the leadership skills that she has developed while at the Academy. Since Youker was on the yard over the summer, she was also able to help the soccer coaching staff with a number of different tasks.
"We relied on Carissa for a lot of things that went on during the summer that she could help us with and she was always there and reliable," said Gabarra. "She was tremendous."
Family roots
One of the reasons Youker chose the Naval Academy was because of her family background. Her father, Jim, is retired member of the U.S. Army and he impressed upon his daughter some of the benefits of attending a service academy.
"My dad definitely pushed service academies on me my whole life," said Youker. "We used to live in Colorado and my dad wanted me to go to the Air Force Academy. Then we moved to Maryland we started looking at the Naval Academy."
Youker had a successful playing career at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md. and graduated in 2007. Gabarra recruited Youker to the Naval Academy and she was off to Plebe Summer just a short time after graduation.
Freshman clinches Patriot League Championship
"Carissa came in here as a goal scorer," said Gabarra. "But it's hard to play a whole lot as a plebe here. We're usually pretty talented and it's hard to step in and play right away."
Youker was able to further develop during the first few months of the season and remained ready for when her number was called.
"We've always had a lot of good attacking players and she played behind some great forwards. She spent some time watching them and learning from them that year and getting used to our level and our speed of play. When we needed her most she stepped up."
As it would turn out, the first situation in which Gabarra needed Youker to step up was the 2007 Patriot League Championship game. Navy was playing at top-seeded Bucknell with the league crown and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line. Youker, just a freshman at the time with one career goal, subbed in late in the first half of a scoreless game.
In the 42nd minute, Navy's Sam Schroth flicked the ball with her head towards Youker, who was making a run on goal. Youker controlled the ball and fired to sink the game-winner, just past the outstretched hands of the Bucknell keeper. Navy's defense insured Youker's goal would stand up and the Mids went on to win the game, 1-0, earning their second straight Patriot League Championship and berth into the NCAA Tournament.
"That goal really jump-started Carissa's career," said Gabarra. "She had a good freshman season but scoring a game-winner like that in the playoffs was huge."
Midshipman record-setter
Youker's career has indeed taken off since the 2007 Patriot League title game. She has gone on to lead Navy in goals during both her sophomore and junior seasons and currently leads the team in points in 2010. She has earned a pair of All-Patriot League accolades and is a strong candidate for a third honor at the conclusion of this season.
"I always want to get better than what I was the previous season," said Youker. "That's been my goal since my plebe year."
A quick glance at the Navy record books confirms Youker's consistent significance to the women's soccer program. She enters the weekend ranked second in game-winning goals, seventh in goals and 10th in points. When Youker scores a goal, Navy's record is 19-3.
One of the many important goals of Youker's career came against Army in the 2009 Star Game. With Navy leading 1-0 in the second half, and in front of a Glenn Warner Soccer Facility record 2,627 fans, Youker took a feed and beat the Army keeper 1-on-1 to give Navy an insurance tally and put the game out of reach.
Youker will have another chance to recreate some of her Star Game magic when Navy plays at Army on Friday. The Mids will hope to retain the N-Star the two service academies continue one of the most storied rivalries in college athletics.
Hard work pays off
Some of the qualities that make Youker such a proficient goal scorer are her instincts and her ability to finish opportunities. Also, Youker attributes her success to her hard work in practice paying off in games.
"A lot of what we do in practice translates to games," said Youker. "We practice a lot of the runs that I'll make to get in the box and I end up in a lot of those types of situations in games."
"She's very opportunistic," said Gabarra. "She works hard to get herself in the right spot and she makes the most of each situation."
Although Gabarra's last comment was directed towards Youker's success on the playing field, it can be seen that Youker's characteristics as a soccer player are consistent with those she possesses as a student-athlete, midshipman and future Naval Officer. No matter what situation Youker is in, she is making it count.
