By Cayla Davis, Columbia Women’s Soccer, Class of 2021
This is going to be painful. My hands are clammy and breath short. One thing is clear– I’m not
over it. I don’t know if I ever will be.
Just a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to clinch Columbia women’s soccer’s second Ivy
League title in program history. After beating 11th-ranked Princeton and starting the League
5-0, we had just two games left. We only had to win one. Last year from home I watched the
team come so close to winning. I thought this was our year. Little did I know in my first year I
was about to live in that heartbreak my returning teammates had felt the year before. A loss to
Yale on a penalty kick with 56 seconds remaining and failing to score in 110 minutes versus
Harvard did us in. Clearly, I’m still not over it. I don’t know if any of us are.
However, at the same time, a few weeks out from the season, the only word that comes to
mind is grateful. Yes, you are correct; I would do almost anything to have those two games
back. I’m still not over the opportunity that slipped through our fingers. But then I think about
what it means to me to play on this team, for this program, and at this level– and above all, I
just think how grateful I am to be here.
When I was in 8th grade, I made my first college list. I knew then that if given the opportunity, I
wanted to play in The Ivy League, and so Columbia was on that initial list. Between then and
now, there were moments I didn’t know if I would play college soccer, much less at one of
those schools on my original list. For the three coaches I have at Columbia that took a chance
on me, I am grateful. For the people in admissions that read my file and decided to offer me the
opportunity to go to school here, I am grateful. For my parents who sacrificed so much so I
could be here, I am grateful.
I’m grateful to be in an academic setting that thus far has been both challenging and
rewarding. I’m grateful for the alumna of the women’s soccer program that generously invite us
into their homes and donate to our program. I’m grateful that I am a student-athlete at
Columbia– living a life I dreamed of since I started playing. Has it been perfect? Far from it. Has
it been easy? No, nor did I expect it to be. But Columbia has been everything I wanted it to be
and more. I know there are challenges ahead but also that I have incredible friends,
teammates, and coaches to support me through it.
This program has experienced heartbreak two years in a row. Yet my heart feels so far from
broken. This team has made it full. Maybe next year when we take the field it will be our year.
Maybe the third time’s the charm. Or maybe not. Regardless, I’ll be grateful.
Cayla Davis is a freshman on the Columbia women's soccer team. She started all 16 games in 2017, finishing with four points on a goal and two assists.
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