by Robert Ziegler
Playing the role of team captain goes far beyond the final blow of the referee's whistle. A captain must gain the trust of her teammates and effectively solve problems that may creep up on a roster of often varied personalities.
Likewise, to develop a successful learning environment, a teacher must command the respect of her class while maintaining a connection with her students that may come from diverse backgrounds.
Lindsay Bach, co-captain of the No. 1 Penn State women's soccer team, believes her experiences as a leader on the field will translate to her future career and vice versa.
"I don't like to see myself as a 'captain' in some high position, but rather someone my teammates can come to in order to express frustrations, concerns and ideas and someone they respect on the field," says Bach, who earned a degree in elementary education last May and is working toward her masters in communications disorders. "As a teacher, I want to have an open relationship with my students where they feel comfortable to express their ideas in a place that isn't just 'my' classroom, but theirs also.
| Lindsay Bach has endured several knee surgeries in her career, but pressed on to become this year's Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Year. |
"And it goes the other way as well. Since I've been in the classroom as a student-teacher and substitute, it's become more natural for me to tend to everyone's needs on the team and to be that nurturing, vocal leader on and off the field."
Along with leading the team to its eighth consecutive conference title and first undefeated regular season (19-0) in school history, Bach has also enjoyed a substantial amount of individual success, recently being named the Big Ten's Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
"It's a great honor and reward for all the hard work every day over the summer, preseason, and regular season," says the Rochester, New York native, who was quick to deflect a lot of the credit to her teammates.
"Without the people around me, we wouldn't be talking about individual awards," she says. "This is the most talented and definitely the most hard-working team I've ever been on.
"I remember the first day of preseason this year was unlike any other. It was really intense, the coaches were on us, and there was just this feeling that we had something special."
All of Bach's talents aren't displayed on the grass at Jeffrey Field, however. As a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, she is the epitome of a student athlete.
"It's tough to balance everything sometimes but you have no choice but to be disciplined," she says, attributing her study skills to the education she received as a student in Catholic school. "You don't want to let your teammates down."
Things haven't always come so easy for the 22-year-old. In her senior year of high school, Bach tore the ACL in her right knee, prompting her coach to tell her parents she would never make it to the Division 1 level despite all of her accolades at Aquinas Institute and experience in the Olympic Development Program.
A forward in high school, Bach became a defender upon arriving at Penn State, a move she handled with grace.
"You learn you're not going to get the glory, but it doesn't matter," says the Aquinas Institute single-season assist record holder. "I love to see everyone else take it and I'll contribute when I get the chance."
As if the position switch wasn't enough to deal with in her freshman season with the Nittany Lions, Bach suffered her second knee injury in an NCAA tournament game against Villanova, this time dislocating her left knee cap.
One month into the rehabilitation process, Bach suffered yet another setback, again tearing her right ACL, leading to a medical redshirt in her sophomore season.
"They (injuries) took a lot out of me mentally," she says. "Physically, I knew I could make it back, but in my mind, after the third one, I doubted that I'd be able to do it."
While she only played nine games the following season and acknowledges that she was never really 100 percent until last year, Bach had made it back thanks to the hard-working nature of her character, something she says is instilled in every Penn State soccer player.
"The seniors seemed intimidating," she says of her freshman year, "but they helped mold us into what a Penn State player is all about: being blue-collar."
Bach says she would consider a professional career if her hometown of Rochester was granted a franchise if and when the United Women's Soccer League is re-launched. Otherwise, she would be more than content working with children, raising a family and coaching her kids along the way.
But that's in the future. Bach and her teammates still have unfinished business to take care of this season.
| Captain Lindsay Bach is a leader on and off the field for Penn State. |
After a disappointing loss decided by penalty kicks to Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Bach sounded a lot like quarterback Michael Robinson - another Penn State captain who was forced to regroup their team after an emotional game in Ann Arbor - insisting the team has no choice but to move on.
"The second we lost to Michigan we had to put it behind us and just use it as a learning experience," she says. "We came home and had a couple hard practices and moved on. We always say that we have three seasons: the regular season, the Big Ten season, and the NCAA Tournament. Our main focus now is on the NCAAs."
Penn State, which received the overall No. 1 seed when the tournament pairings were released Monday, will have a chance to avenge last year's shocking second-round defeat suffered at the hands of Maryland.
"I had never lost a home game here until that point," says Bach. "There's still a bitter taste left in our mouth from that game."
Bach said the team needs to maintain focus on each and every game as it comes in order to avoid a repeat of what happened last year and move on to the Final Four.
Regardless of what happens over the remainder of the season, Lindsay Bach has no regrets and reflects fondly about her time at Penn State, especially this, her final year.
"Everything this season has been amazing," she said. "It's a great way to end a career, to look back and see how successful we were my last year here. But we still have some more hardware and awards to win first. I'd throw all these individual awards out the window in order to win a national championship."
Just as any good leader would.