Wednesday October 10, 2001

Soccer experiences tightened security at Air Force

The Arizona women's soccer team experienced first hand this weekend the reality that the United States is at war.

The Wildcats had to be personally escorted onto the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., by Air Force coaches prior to the game against the Falcons Sunday afternoon.

Assistant coach Melissa Estrada said the UA coaching staff had to present Air Force with a list of the players' and coaches' social security numbers prior to the matchup and then show proper identification before being allowed on the base.

UA head coach Cathy Klein said she is never going to forget the experience.

"This is the most difficult day that I've ever faced as a coach," Klein said. "We are now even more aware of the fragile nature of what has happened with our country. It puts things in perspective - soccer is so small."

Klein said the squad was escorted onto the base minutes before the United States learned that it bombed Afghanistan.

She said that if the squad had come 15 minutes later, no civilians would have been allowed on the base.

Reality set in further for the Wildcats as they played before a nearly empty stadium. Klein said no civilian fans were permitted, and the only spectators allowed were those with military status.

Estrada estimated that there were 20 people in attendance, and even the parents of the players had to be escorted and present identification.

Right before the game, the team suffered another blow.

In a routine warm-up prior to the match, senior midfielder/defender Erin Nelson injured her ankle, and will miss the rest of the season.

Klein said that while the team will suffer without Nelson's presence on the field, the injury was put into perspective by what is happening to the country.

"(The injury) added perspective to what we are doing and how anything can happen in any day," Klein said. "You have to play every game like it will be your last."

Further disappointment - though Klein said it was trivial in comparison to the country's attack - followed for the Wildcats.

Arizona lost the game in overtime, 2-1, marking the second time this season the Wildcats have lost a sudden-death game.

Klein said it wasn't until after the game that the team learned about the bombings in Afghanistan.

Nelson said she learned of the attack while in the hospital.

She said something she heard before the game made her anxious about the match.

"I watched the news that morning and heard how they did not want any civilians on Army bases," Nelson said. "I was a little nervous to play, but I did not want to tell the other girls to make them aware. I didn't know we were going to war."

The Wildcats were not originally scheduled to face Air Force this season.

When UA athletic director Jim Livengood canceled all Arizona athletic events after the Sept. 11 attack, Klein added Air Force and the University of Denver to the schedule, replacing games missed against Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Klein said she and the squad are overwhelmed by everything that has occurred in such a short period.

If a lesson could be learned in the world of women's soccer, Klein said it was to overcome any challenge that presents itself.

"Our kids are bewildered at everything that has happened," Klein said. "I hope this team finds a way to work through adversity and make it a positive day.

"It's not winning that makes a champion, but it's how you act through adversity."