Cassie Nash has been playing soccer for most of her life, starting when she was five. Nash played for her high school soccer team, and while she did not have the best experience during those years, which led her not to play her first year at Simpson, she ended up missing the sport after watching the team play, so she became a two-star athlete. She’s racked up awards and honors in her sophomore, junior, senior and now fifth year.

Her feelings on this year’s soccer season

Nash has enjoyed being a part of the success of this year’s women’s soccer team. The team headed into the postseason with a 14-2-1 record, already the most wins since the 2004 season.

“I don’t think we knew how good we were actually going to be until we got rolling. So being in the spot we are now was kind of a shock, but then seeing the talent that we have, it all made sense,” Nash said.

The fifth-year senior wasn’t sure if she would play during her final year because her main group of seniors had graduated. After living on campus during the summer with some of the now juniors and a couple of the seniors, she decided to come back because she loved the team and the team aspect.

Nash has scored over 50 goals while at Simpson, adding to her accolades for the season. This season, she had six games where she recorded multiple goals, including two hat tricks. She ranks second in the conference with 16 goals during the regular season.

Nash wasn’t aware when she scored her 50th goal of her career, which she obtained after scoring her ninth season goal in the victory against Luther on Oct. 4.

 “I honestly didn’t even know I was getting there until I scored the goal, and then I looked over to the bench, and I saw a sign that said, ‘Congrats on 50,’” Nash said. “So, it’s not something I look to or keep track of myself, but seeing that the team cares, I feel like is what made the biggest impact.”

Why she took a fifth-year

Nash always knew she was going to take a fifth year ever since COVID-19, which granted her an extra year of eligibility, and she thought it would help her with figuring out what she wanted to do after college. She was able to spread out her classes, and she added another major and a minor.

Why she came to Simpson

Nash didn’t come to play soccer at Simpson. She came to play basketball. Simpson women’s basketball reached out to Nash during her junior year of high school. After visiting campus and meeting some of the players and the head coach of the women’s basketball team, Nash knew that Coach Niemuth was the coach she wanted to play for.  

“He was very knowledgeable about the sport, the team was super good and welcoming and I wanted to be a part of the atmosphere where, yes, we want to win, but we win as a team,” Nash said. “They were close on and off the court and I really loved that and Coach Niemuth’s coaching style too.”

Nash also enjoyed the fast-paced game and a coach who wasn’t going to yell but who was going to push you to be your best. “And that was Coach Niemuth,” Nash said.

How she balances being a two-star athlete

“It has its ups and downs,” Nash said. “I feel like for me, especially this year, it’s been more laid back because I’m a fifth year, so I’ve been able to spread out my classes, so it hasn’t been too much of a workload on me.”

This year, the soccer and basketball seasons have overlapped. Basketball practices started amid soccer season on Oct. 1, and Nash has made sure to make appearances at both, even if that means just sitting and watching basketball practice.

Nash completes her homework on the bus to stay caught up. She also still has free time. She is thankful that it hasn’t been as crazy as she thought it would be.

“This is the first year where soccer was like a bigger priority in my head than I had given it in the past,” Nash said. “The past couple of years, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m doing soccer, but basketball is my main thing, so I can still do a lot of shooting workouts.’ But, I’m getting a lot older now, and my body can’t handle as much, so I prioritize in-season sports, so I haven’t been able to do as much basketball.”

Her future plans

While not 100% official, Nash will be traveling across the globe to Rome, Italy, to play soccer while getting her Master’s in sports management. She will be over there for a year after being asked by the school to play soccer for them. The time abroad will also allow her to figure out what she wants to do after her time in school.