Colorado
Florida State
Roo Quickly Making a Name for Herself
September 11, 2019 | Soccer
The freshman is off to a hot start for the Buffs
BOULDER – The peak of celebrity is when a person has hit one-name status. Cher. Madonna. Adele. Beyoncé. For one Colorado soccer player, who has three names, it's just Roo that is catching on.
CU midfielder Roo Yarnell-Williams has exploded on the scene this fall for Danny Sanchez and the Buffaloes. The freshman, whose given game is Aurora, has scored three goals in her first six collegiate games and is currently second on the team with six points.
The Sacramento, Calif., native, wasn't always Roo. The evolution from Aurora to Roo happened on the soccer field at a young age.
"I think I was like U10," she recalled. "I had this coach and he'd always get frustrated calling me Aurora because it was such a long name. He's like 'I don't know what else to call you?' My older sister used to call me Rory and that caught on for a bit. Then he went from Rory to Roo, like kangaroo. It just kind of evolved into Roo after that."
The name has stuck with her ever since. She introduces herself to people as Roo, despite finding the name odd herself.
"I don't know if I liked it [at first]. I kind of found it to be an odd name. It kind of made me feel a little weird. Then it kind of just [stuck]. I've been called it ever since then. For the past nine years, it's kind of all I know. Now I find it weird to be called Aurora."
Yarnell-Williams made her presence felt on the field from day one. She got the start at forward in CU's opener against Drake. She didn't take long to find the back of the net either, picking up her first goal in her second career match against Boston University. She now has three goals to her name, having scored the game-winners against Austin Peay and Baylor last week.
Being the youngest of five sisters, competition is nothing new. Her mother, Chris was a three-sport athlete at Sacramento State. Her oldest sister, Chelsea, was a diver at Pepperdine. Mekenna, the closest in age, played soccer at Northern Arizona.
"I think my family helps motivate me," she explained. "I always try to be the best version of myself. I don't like disappointing people. I've seen my sisters struggle a lot. I just want to go out and play my hardest."
Most freshmen would love to have three goals in their first season, let alone the first six games. The quick start to her career was not something she ever expected, but it has helped build her confidence.
"I never imagined a start like this," she joked. "I definitely would have wanted to picture it [this way]. I didn't think it would be a reality right now. But now that I know that I'm capable of it, I kind have started envisioning and doing more than I was before."
Colorado fans could be witnessing the rise of another star, while in the same season watching another's successful career wind down. Senior Taylor Kornieck, who has made a compelling case to be called one of the best in CU soccer history, had a similar start to her freshman season. Kornieck also had three goals in her first six games. She finished the 2016 season second on the team with 26 points (11 G, 4 A).
Having the opportunity to play one season with Kornieck is not something that has gone unnoticed from Yarnell-Williams, picking up bits and pieces from the seasoned veteran.
"I've learned to listen better," Yarnell-Williams explained. "I've learned to listen and not get in your head, not think that you're right all the time and accept information if somebody tells you what you need to do and grow from it."
Yarnell-Williams and the No. 24 Buffs head to Tallahassee, Fla., on Thursday for the team's first road-test. Colorado will take on defending national champion Florida State at 5 p.m. MT on the ACC Network.
