This year, 11 freshmen joined the Emory University women’s soccer team, creating a freshman-dominated dynamic. Despite these changes, the team has connected quickly, which has led to a successful start to the season with a 9-3-1 record. While the players’ skills certainly contributed to this success, it starts with the leadership of the team’s two seniors: defender Claudia Schmidt and midfielder Chayse Corfman.
As a freshman, Schmidt played in 19 games, including 13 as a starter, and she appeared in both of the Eagles’ NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship games as a sophomore. Corfman has also had an impressive Emory career, scoring two goals in the team’s NCAA first-round win over Piedmont University (Ga.) in her sophomore year.
During their four years playing for Emory, both Schmidt and Corfman have grown as players and people. Women’s soccer head coach Sue Paterg attested to their development as leaders.
“As people, they’ve become more confident and comfortable in the soccer environment,” Patberg said. “... Both of them are also able to, in the nicest way possible, hold their teammates accountable as well and uphold the standards of the program, which they both have embraced.”
As players, Patberg said Schmidt and Corfman consistently showcase their strengths on the field, albeit in different ways.
“Claudia has a really strong presence on the field in terms of just steadiness, the creativity, the technical game,” Patberg said. “Chayse is really growing into her role because she was injured last season and unable to play. … This year she’s really stepping into her role in the midfield while gaining confidence in her own play.”
Through experience, Schmidt and Corfman have matured into leaders whom Patberg trusts to instill the standards of the team. However, for both players, leadership did not always come naturally. Schmidt said it took experience and time for her to grow into her role.
“I’ve always been a pretty introverted person, and I think as I’ve grown on this team, I’ve gained a lot of confidence and I’ve learned to speak up for myself,” Schmidt said. “As I've become a leader, I've learned a lot of important leadership qualities and I think with that has come confidence in myself and the fact that people trust me and people respect me.”
Corfman also reflected on how she’s become more accustomed to her leadership role at Emory.
“I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable speaking more, because it wasn’t like I was always like this freshman year,” Corfman said.
As the only two seniors on the roster, Schmidt and Corfman take it upon themselves to guide the team’s focus during practices and games. Patberg emphasized how valuable Schmidt and Corfman are, not just to the players, but to the coaching staff. Their presence is felt in a variety of ways, from making sure someone is in charge of the ball bag to keeping spirits high after a loss.
“Every day, they’re coming to training, they’re focused, they’re ready to go,” Patberg said. “They’re upholding standards, they have expectations of themselves and their teammates. They want to be major contributors and they want to be leaders and that’s what they’re doing, but they’re also well loved by their teammates and by their coaching staff.”
Off the field, Schmidt and Corfman worked to build relationships with their teammates, especially the freshmen.
“We’ve been really intentional with how we’ve created friendships and bonds with the underclassmen,” Schmidt said. “... Just doing daily check-ins with people and asking how people are doing and making sure people feel supported.”
Corfman said being a supportive teammate can range from small acts of kindness, like being a listening ear or offering a ride to the grocery store to teammates without a car. Corfman also mentioned how she is able to connect with and help injured players using her own experience being sidelined due to a torn ACL last season.
“I've definitely been there before where I can't play the sport that I love every day,” Corfman said. “... I think that when I share my experiences with others too, they also feel that sentiment of not taking it for granted because you really don't know when is the last time you'll play soccer.”
The team has certainly felt Schmidt and Corfman’s support. Freshman forward Mikayla Camp, who has scored seven goals this season, shared how helpful it is to have the support of the seniors. She said they have been important to her adjustment to a new school, as well as to her successful performance on the field.
“They expect my best on the field, but they understand that it was a transition and they were willing to watch me grow,” Camp said. “... I think so much of that success comes from the people I was surrounded with on the field and not getting down on myself in those moments, and hearing them talk to me, uplift me and the positivity really contributed to my mindset in having that success.”
Camp first connected with Schmidt and Corfman during the team’s preseason trip to Lake Oconee. She said that creating bonds with Schmidt and Corfman before the season started created an environment she felt supported.
“I got to connect with them and see what they were about, see that they were people that I could truly trust and rely on and truly fall back on if I ever needed to,” Camp said. “Growing that personal connection early in the season has really helped as well.”
As Schmidt and Corfman play through their last season, they hope to be remembered both as great players and leaders. Corfman emphasized how she never wants to take her soccer experience for granted.
“Every time I step out on the field, I want to be the best,” Corfman said. “I want to be the better team; I just want to play amazing. So just having that motivation behind me because — I definitely feel it now — one day it will end.”
For Schmidt, leaving a positive impact on the team is her biggest goal.
“I want to know that I had a positive impact on each individual person on the team, as a leader, as a friend, as a teammate,” Schmidt said. “I just want to make sure that my influence on this team has been positive and that the culture that we created was something that benefited every single person.”
