If you’ve been down to Iles Gym in the evening recently, you have probably seen what looked like indoor soccer going on, or futsal. Goal Diggers is one of the four ladies teams playing futsal this year. Here’s some information about what it’s like to play futsal from a few of the Goal Diggers themselves:
Isa Tavares, sophomore communication major
Rebekah Howard, sophomore psychology major
Alexis Schultz, junior business administration major
Eveling Grajales, junior biology major
Michelle Choi, junior engineering major
What makes playing futsal different than soccer?
Isa: Futsal is much quicker and you need more footwork and skill, whereas for outdoors you need more endurance.
Rebekah: Futsal is a lot more technical than outdoor soccer. It’s different in several ways—the ball is slightly smaller and heavier, getting used to playing on hardwood floor is difficult because the ball rolls farther faster. However, the field is a lot smaller which makes it slightly easier to make more goals from farther out.
Alexis: Futsal is a lot more fast-paced that outdoor soccer. It takes more ball control and accuracy because there’s a lot less space.
Michelle: The main difference is that the “field” is a lot smaller. The rules are a little different and the number of players allowed on the field is less for futsal.
Which one do you like better?
Isa: I like futsal better because I’m better at dribbling than running long distances.
Rebekah: I like futsal, but I prefer outdoor soccer!
Alexis: If I’m being honest, I like outdoor soccer more because I have more endurance than ball control, so I think I’m better at outdoor, but I enjoy both a lot.
Michelle: I like futsal better because there is more interaction on the court compared to outdoor soccer.
Did you play soccer or futsal before coming to Southern?
Isa: I’m Brazilian; I was kicking balls before I learned how to read.
Rebekah: Before Southern, I played pickup [soccer] games for fun but never on a team. This is my first time ever playing futsal.
Alexis: I played a little [futsal] at my high school but girls never really played or had the opportunity to. Southern was definitely the first time I played a “real game” of futsal.
Eveling: Yes, it’s my first love when it comes to sports. As a Colombian it’s rooted in my culture so I’ve been playing since I was very young.
How do you feel about there being only one division in ladies futsal?
Rebekah: I think it’s a little disappointing they don’t have A and B league for ladies. I wish that more girls would play futsal, even if they haven’t played before. It’s a great way to get exercise, have a lot of fun and bond with other girls.
Alexis: I think it’s a good thing and a bad thing. It gives you more teams to play with, but also if a team isn’t as good and wanted to be in B league, then they are forced to play with higher skilled teams.
Eveling: I don’t mind it. Ideally there would be more than 3 teams to play A league in order to have really competitive games but it’s also fun to play different teams all in one league. You get to meet and interact with more people this way.
What makes “Goal Diggers” such a great team to be on?
Isa: I love my team because we’re all competitive and serious about soccer. Even though most of us have more experience playing outdoors, we can still kill it on the court.
Rebekah: One special thing about our team is that, even though we haven’t played together as a team before, we work so well together.
Eveling: Our awesome captain Isa thought of us and asked us to play together. I think there’s a high sense of comradery and unselfishness. There’s a high drive to be competitive but also to have fun, and I think there’s nothing more you can ask for.
Michelle: Our team is special because we had good chemistry from the very first game. That’s really hard to find within a team, so I’m thankful we all bonded well together.
Image credit: Joseph Hyde