Introducing U: Morgan Asmussen
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The second member of the University of Miami soccer team from Lake Forest High School, Morgan Asmussen of Lake Bluff, Ill., is looking forward to her career on and off the field as a Hurricane.
Asmussen, a 5-foot-4-inch freshman defender, took the time to sit down with HurricaneSports.com and chat about what she has enjoyed most thus far at The U, her goals, the team’s diversity and more . . .
Q: You are a few weeks into your time here at Miami. What has it been like for you so far?
A: It’s really welcoming, I think. As soon as we got here, we had endless resources. I wasn’t ready for it. We have Lesley [King, our athletic trainer], we have the training room, which is insane. They will do anything and everything for us, which I think is really cool.
Q: What has been your favorite part or favorite experience thus far?
A: I think it’s really meeting all the people. I knew them from social media, but once you get to know your team—I’m getting to know people more and I think it’s [great] we have so many people from all over the place. It’s really cool.
Q: How much have you already started to learn about the different people and their backgrounds, with how diverse the team and school are?
A: I’ve noticed that a lot. With all the teams there are people from all over the world, which I think is insane, that Miami has this reputation worldwide. We have Hanna [Droh] from Sweden, we’ve got England, we’ve got Canada, we’ve got all over, which is really cool.
Q: Have you decided what you want to major in and, if so, how did you decide on it?
A: Well, when I lived in California, I always loved the ocean. We went on all these field trips where you went on a boat and you would just throw a net out and whatever you got, you would look at under a microscope. We did that for a couple years and I was just like, ‘This is the coolest thing ever.’ Then I moved to Chicago and there is the lake, but I interned at Shedd Aquarium, which is a pretty well-known aquarium. I was like, ‘Okay, I want to make a job out of this.’ I was looking into Miami and I saw it had one of the [very best] programs for marine biology, so [that is going to be my major, along with meteorology].
Q: As a player, what do you see as your strengths?
A: I’m pretty small, as people see, but I think that I’m pretty unassuming. I have bursts of speed. I think my vision is pretty good. My diagonal ball to relive pressure on one side is one of the good things I do.
Q: What do you think you need to work on the most?
A: In the air. My height kind of gets in the way of heading, but I think it’s just the timing that I need to get down.
Q: What do you think it will be like the first time you take the field for a match as a Hurricane?
A: I think it will be a little overwhelming because this image of Division I sports is what everyone looks up to when you’re in high school or younger. I think it will settle in as ‘I’m really here’ once I’m there.
Q: When you think back on it, what made you decide that Miami was the school for you?
A: Honestly, when I first came here, I really only knew very little about Miami . . . and I did the quizzes where you match what school [is best for] you and Miami always came up as number one. So, I came here [on a visit]—and I wanted to play in the ACC because it’s one of the most competitive conferences for women’s soccer. Then I saw the campus, I saw Mary-Frances Monroe and how she talked to us. I was like, ‘Okay, this is what I want to do.’ It . . . was a building of the program, which I thought I wanted to be a part of.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about your college career?
A: I think it’s probably going to the marine science campus. I visited last October and I was like, ‘It’s amazing.’ They have a room just to grow coral, which sounds really boring, but for me, that sounds awesome.
Q: Are there any goals that you’ve thought about soccer-wise for you UM career?
A: I definitely want to win some type of title, whether it’s regular season ACC champions or ACC tournament champions. I definitely want to get that championship while I’m here.
To keep up with the University of Miami soccer team on social media, follow @CanesFutbol on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
