We're more molded. Early in the 2000 season, Willemse and the Matadors were tested. They started the season winless in their first six matches, despite a pair of shutouts by Willemse over that stretch. Lee kept saying her team just needed confidence, that they were the best team in the short history of Matador women's soccer and would eventually prove it. The Matadors finally got into the win column against the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara, Willemse's third shutout of the season that allowed the first Matador goal in 498 minutes of game time to stand up for the win.
Soccer is such an emotional trip.
After each game, I take some alone time to get over what just happened. I take each game on its own. I go into the game not knowing about the other team, and I play the game as if the score is 0-0. While growing up, Willemse thought of her sister Liz as a role model, and aspired to be like her sister. However, Willemse saw a bigger picture and realized that her mother was the biggest role model in her life.