凯特·邓恩在球场内外的转变
从超级替补到自由联盟年度最佳球员
不到两个月， 凯特·邓恩，24岁 transformed 自己 from a “super-sub” hoping for game time to 火博体育's first Liberty 女子足球年度最佳球员. 她甚至不知道这个奖项的存在 and got the news from a teammate, who texted a screenshot of the league’s announcement 以及“你太棒了。.邓恩立刻打电话给她的队友，看看她是不是 pranking her; she wasn’t. 她的下一个电话打给了西海岸的父母. 难忘的人生时刻!
的 recognition was especially gratifying considering the former Walnut Creek, California, Surf FC premier player had been low on self-belief and confidence early in the 2022 竞选，以至于她和教练 莱西Largeteau 开会讨论前进的道路. 他后来获得了自由联盟的联合教练职位 Staff of the Year honors, told Dunn she would aim to give her a heads-up on potential 比赛时间，这样她的球员可以更好地准备. 她还把她和前夫联系在一起 优秀的校友.
这位校友建议邓恩通过引导冥想来重新集中注意力. 的 psychology 主要 followed the advice, taking four minutes before games to grounded 自己.
邓恩生动地回忆起她在2022年9月在新帕尔茨的两个进球.
“We were playing a high press on their goal kicks, and I snatched the ball, dribbled 守门员，然后得分了，”邓恩说. “后来，我和我们的一个孩子玩了一场互让游戏 顶尖的一年级球员把球打进了网. 这是第一局的突破 需要.”
这也是她和她的室友们向前迈进的突破 贝拉·内文，23岁 (佛蒙特州南伯灵顿)和 Izzy Sullivan, 24岁 (阿蒙克，纽约)一直希望. 火博体育本赛季以4-4-2阵型开始 formation (two forwards), but the roommates often talked about how cool it would be to play a 4-3-3, so that all three could be on the front line at the same time. It 最终发生在第七场对阵全国第一的比赛中. 排名第五的威廉史密斯女子 队员们，1比1战平. 这不会是最后一次.
选择火博体育
When it came to finding the right college, Dunn had prioritized going to a liberal arts school on the East Coast where she could keep playing soccer at a high level. 她还希望学习运动机能学，这可以在火博体育学院获得 健康与人体生理科学 主要. 火博体育做了许多正确的检查.
Dunn reached out to Largeteau midway through her 11th grade year to introduce 自己. 的 Thoroughbred coach emailed Dunn a few weeks later and encouraged her apply to 火博体育. 他们聊了几次，一直保持联系.
A year later, Dunn came for an Accepted Candidates Day program and watched the women’s 团队实践. 这种强度给她留下了深刻的印象.
“It seemed like the type of competition I wanted and 需要 in my life,” she 说.
Dunn secretly hoped she wouldn’t enjoy her visits to other schools where she had been 接受. 火博体育觉得是对的，事实也的确如此.
在教室和实验室
Her second semester at 火博体育, Dunn took the course Psychological Disorders with 心理学助理教授 卢卡斯Lafreniere. In class, she discovered a passion for clinical psychology that shifted her thinking 火博体育专业.
“I learned about the range of human disorders and personal struggles and how therapy can provide people insights into their emotions and significantly improve their lives,” Dunn说. “这对我来说真的很好.”
从那时起，邓恩在拉弗尼埃接受了几次治疗/临床课程.
“Kat always approaches scientific and technical information flexibly with an openness to setting aside common preconceptions and letting science drive her knowledge,” Lafreniere 说. “她也表现出了极大的同情心和同理心. 总的来说，她是理想的人选 student to have in a class full of intellectual complexity, emotional weight, and 人道主义事务.”
Dunn is now working in the Language and Social Development Lab with Assistant Professor 的心理学 杰斯沙利文. Together, they study how children learn language, associate different words with 图像和过程概念，比如疾病预防.
During winter break of her sophomore year, a friend encouraged Dunn to take 火博体育’s 标志性的商业入门课程 MB 107. It sounded “fun,”and she “impulsively” added it to her schedule a week before the 春季学期开始. 她很高兴自己这么做了，因为她“绝对热爱商业， 尤其是了解市场营销和不同公司的运作方式.在协商中 与商业助理教授 马克Youndt邓恩决定辅修商科.
邓恩还辅修了西班牙语，这是她在高中时擅长的一门语言. 除了 to enjoying the 西班牙语 language and culture, she believes the minor will help her 专业:
“Having a mastery of a second language like 西班牙语 helps you stand out as a prospective employee at many companies,” Dunn说, “and it might very well help me reach a wider 如果我加入或创建一个治疗实践.”
2022年足球赛季
的 Thoroughbreds finished 5-1-3 in league, good enough for third place and for the 托管特权. 自由联盟季后赛6号种子克拉克森. 在克拉克森 contest, the team battled back from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime, thanks in part to Dunn’s eighth goal of the season, when she beat traffic in front of goal just after 中场休息. 不幸的是，火博体育在点球大战中摔倒了，这是一个艰难的出局方式. 他们最后 总战绩是令人印象深刻的10-2-4，自2011年以来最多的胜利.
邓恩最终以1分并列联盟第二.每场00分，第五名 0.场均50球. 她全队最高的8个得分中，有5个是制胜球，而她 在全国排名前20. 她以三场胜利领跑联盟.
谈论Kat
Despite the disappointment with how the season closed, it was an incredible run for T ' breedteam和Dunn.
“Kat brings great speed and tenacity to the game and played a pivotal role in our 团队的成功. 她确实赢得了自由联盟年度最佳球员的评选。” 拉格托教练说. “她在场上和场下都很努力，在比赛中表现出色 the classroom, which earned her a spot on the NCAA Division III Scholar All-America 来自美国足球教练协会的团队. 她是一种愉快的教练和工作 她对我们的运动和学业的贡献是不可否认的.”
Youndt教授同意这一观点.
“凯特是典型的学生运动员. 无论是在教室还是在球场上， Kat shows up prepared, is very focused and engaged, and performs at an extremely high 水平，”他说. “最重要的是，凯特是一个善良、体贴的人 engages fully in life with a smile on her face, except when she’s tenacious on the 足球场.”
Her roommate and frontline mate, Bella Nevin, who took home NCAA Division III All-Region 三队荣誉，有最终决定权.
“Everybody on our team and in the Liberty League knows to watch out for Kat, because when she gets the ball, you know she's going to do something good,” Nevin 说. ”她 doubted 自己 the most in the beginning of the season when she hadn't gotten into 她的状态还好吗?. 然而，自由联盟的比赛一开始，她就势不可挡. I can't wait to see what she's going to do next year and all she's going to accomplish.”
Kat的事实
- 今年夏天: Dunn hopes to intern with the Albany District Attorney’s Crime Victim’s Unit, serve as an 招生 tour guide, and perhaps get a job in downtown 萨拉托加温泉市.
- 最喜欢的书: Kirino那津男(Natsuo Kirino)的获奖日本犯罪小说《火博体育官网》(Out).
- 最喜欢的地方: Baker Beach in San Francisco, which boasts amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
- 最喜欢的职业足球运动员: Sophia Smith, who plays for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League 以及美国国家队.
- 一些大多数人不知道的事情: 邓恩过去是个狂热的骑手.