Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Jitters Aside, Barczuk Enjoys U-23 Camp
October 27, 2011 | Soccer, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - Amy Barczuk's comfort zone is a soccer pitch, but earlier this month in Carson, Calif., that changed . . . briefly. For once, Barczuk admittedly had butterflies, but they were there for good reason and they ultimately were replaced by good results.
The source of her nerves was understandable: The University of Colorado junior midfielder/forward was invited to the Under-23 Women's National Soccer Team Camp, a prestigious bid extended to 20 other soccer players with varying backgrounds (pro, college, high school).
Barczuk is a potentially rising star in her sport, but this was her initial exposure to soccer on a national stage. Fortunately, there was a friendly, familiar face among the other invitees - former Buffs star Nikki Marshall, who holds 17 school records and now plays in the WPS (Boston). Marshall, who's living in Greeley in her off-season, was a CU senior in Barczuk's freshman year (2009), when Barczuk started all 19 games.
"She was a little hesitant at first, a little nervous I think," Marshall said of Barczuk on Day 1 of the Thursday-Sunday camp at Carson's Home Depot Center. "But I was the same way . . . I was in a camp like this when I was a junior (at CU), so I know what she was going through with a lot of veterans being there and playing in front of the national team's head coach (Pia Sundhage).
"But all in all, I think she held her own and did a wonderful job for it being her first camp."
"I'm not going to lie, I was definitely nervous," said Barczuk, who has kept in touch with Nikki through Marshall's younger sister, Shaye, also a junior on the CU soccer team. "But at least when I went, I had (Marshall) there. When she went, she didn't know anyone. So it calmed my nerves . . . and they calmed as the week moved on. But the first day, I was definitely nervous."
Marshall and Barczuk aren't the only CU players who have participated in the U-23 camp. Former Buffs Fran Munnelly and Katie Griffin also were national camp invitees, and like Marshall and Barczuk, they earned their invitations after they were well into their college careers in Boulder.
"It was great exposure as far as playing in front of the full national team coaching staff," said Barczuk, who during the competition also recognized at least a couple of current Stanford players from past matches. "It kind of gave me an idea of what I need to do to be consistent at that level, what I need to do as a player to get to that next step. I'm so happy I got the opportunity, it was awesome."
Buffs soccer coach Bill Hempen wasn't surprised that Barczuk received the invitation. "There's not a moment in practice that she's not working the hardest of any player out there," he said. "She's always in it to win it . . . and it's great that it didn't go unnoticed.
"She's just a kid who loves to play. She's not obsessed with soccer, but she's obsessed at the moment. She desperately wants this program to succeed and she's doing everything in her power to make it work."
The Buffs play their final two home matches this weekend at Prentup Field, hosting No. 6 UCLA on Friday (3 p.m.) and USC on Sunday (1 p.m.). In its first season of Pac-12 Conference competition, CU is 1-6-1 in league play (4-10-2 overall). A 1-0 win a week ago at California is CU's only victory thus far in Pac-12 competition in football, volleyball or soccer.
Barczuk called the Pac-12 "similar to the Big 12 in that there are no bad teams; you have to come out and play your top game in order to win. But the (Pac-12) teams I would say are more technical, more Southern California-style soccer. They're quick and very technical, whereas the Big 12 was more of a physical conference. I think the Pac-12 has been tougher competition, but the only way to be the best is to play the best.
"People may not see it now, but I think it was a good change . . . I think it'll be awesome. Rome wasn't built in a day; you can't expect to be Pac-12 champions in your first season. But I definitely think as time goes on, we'll start to be a contender. You can't rush it."
The 5-10 Barczuk also played basketball (and well) at Arapahoe High School and considered giving that sport a shot at CU or somewhere else until she realized the time demands wouldn't allow it. And after considering going out-of-state, she also realized CU was the best fit for her.
But she's not done with hoops; she still enjoys playing in pickup games when she goes home (Centennial) over winter break. "It's such good cross-training; it keeps you in incredible shape," she said. "I love both games, so I don't think either one would have been a bad choice for me. You have to commit to soccer a lot earlier than basketball, and I committed at the beginning of my junior year. If I wanted to play soccer, I needed to get the ball rolling."
If Hempen had his druthers, most of his roster would be stocked with former two-sport athletes like Barczuk. "Her footwork is so much better because of (basketball)," Hempen said. "I've found that two-sport kids really do have an advantage."
It might be due to her hoops background or maybe just her temperament, but Barczuk describes her soccer style as being more of a "bruiser" than a finesse or technical player. "But you definitely need to have a good technical skill base to play college soccer at an upper level. I think I'm getting there," she added with a laugh.
As her invitation to the U-23 camp would suggest, Barczuk believes her growth in her sport has been "tremendous" at CU. "It takes a lot of time to adjust to the speed of play, and just the time commitment to everything," she said. "Your junior year, from what I've seen, is really when college players kind of come into their own, get a little more comfortable and confident. I definitely think I've grown in that respect. There are definitely obstacles you have to go through in college sports."
Beyond college, she's hoping soccer still has place in her life. "I would definitely hope so," she said. "You never know what's going to happen with the WPS. But I definitely want to continue my soccer career after college, whether it's playing overseas or here. I'm just going to keep the doors open and see what happens."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
