Consistency leads to great career for Grazen

by Matthew Ondesko: Managing Editor

Photos: Fredonia State Athletics

When you look back after four years of college athletics, you never know what your career might have ended up being,

For Brooke Grazen her college career was one of a lot of success and growth. Not many players get to start every game (72) of their college careers, but that’s exactly what Grazen did. The Lancaster native was a mainstay for Fredonia as soon as she stepped on campus.

Even while starting every game of her career, it was still an adjustment for Grazen coming from high school soccer to the collegiate level. Lucky for her, she had someone who did it before her in her sister, Brianna, who helped her navigate those early rough patches.

“It was definitely an adjustment to go from high school soccer to college soccer. In high school I was a center back defender, and I became a left back defender in college. Being in the game with older players and leaders helped me transition into the college atmosphere,” stated Grazen. “Also, as I entered the college game, I had my older sister Brianna Grazen, to look up to. She helped me prepare for the toughness of the game. Every game I went into with a mindset that I would be the best player I could be for the team. The jump to college was fast and physical but being thrown right into those minutes forced me to grow. Playing as a freshman was a struggle at times mentally and physically to go against top forwards but as I got minutes, it helped me gain confidence in myself.”

Playing a lot also helped her confidence. Grazen stepped right in as a freshman and played all 16 games. The early playing time helped her gain trust in herself that she could do in at this level.

It also raised the expectations for herself. Her freshman year, Grazen played every minute. The coaches had so much confidence in her that they kept her on the pitch. That type of confidence by the coaches just helped raise her own coincidence - and the rest they say is history.

“As a freshman, starting every game and playing for many minutes gave me confidence going into my sophomore year because I gained experience in college level games. I was able to gain trust in myself early on and raise my expectations for myself as the years went on. I also felt the sense of belonging at the college level and thus helped me translate my skills to the next level,” stated Grazen. “However, I never let the minutes I got affect my mindset going into season. There were 15 incoming players in my sophomore year, and I knew I had to work and show up to get my starting spot. I went into every practice and game with my full effort ready to improve my game. I ended my senior season as a 1st team all-conference SUNYAC player, and I have grown so much as a player on and off the field.”

With 72 career starts, out of 72 games, Grazen reached one of the goals she set for herself. When she stopped on campus her freshman year, Grazen wanted to make sure she started every game, that was her goal.

It takes a lot of skill, and sometime luck, to start every game of a career. Lucky for her, she never suffered any major injuries. Grazen always did the little things rot make sure her body was right to go out there and play.

When the season starts, the coaches know Grazen will be ready to go. That is a great luxury to have when writing out the starting 11.

“As a freshman, I had a goal to start every single game of my career and never miss a game. Now as a senior, I can say that I have accomplished my goal and also have played in every scrimmage and game of my college career,” stated Grazen. “This took hard work and dedication on and off the field. I showed up every single practice and game ready to face what was in front of me. Coach always talked about the “extra mile.” He had us raise our hands as high as we could and then told us to raise them just a little higher. And every single one of us did. That stuck with me. There is always a little more to give, and it is important to go into every day with that mindset. A mistake doesn’t define a player; it is the work and effort that shows the most.”

It’s not like Grazen just took up space on the field, she was one of the best defenders in the league all four years. She needed her senior year first team all conference , third team all region player, and, for good measures, third team all region academic.

She has been a defender her entire career and it shows. Her satisfaction is going to be scoring goals, it’s going to be shutting down the other teams best offensive player. It’s going on there and winning every 50/50 ball. It’s making the slide tackle and saying this ball’s mine.

“Being a defender my whole life, I’ve learned you don’t get much recognition because there are not many stats that come with defending. After battling and putting in the extra effort against top forwards gives me the satisfaction that makes the game fun. Every time I go into a tackle, I repeat “this is my ball” in my head and work to get it. If I come out of the battle with the ball, it is a feeling that makes that extra work defending worth it,” stated Grazen. “Throughout my college career we started a gold star theory for defense. Since we don’t get all the stats, we would do it for the “gold stars”. If we shut down the forwards and took the win, we received a gold star for our defending. There would be certain games where my coach would point out some of the team's best players to me. This would bring up my level of excitement for the game because that meant I got to challenge myself even more.”

Grazen has the mindset of going out there and competing and giving it your best. She knows she didn’t win every battle during her four year career, but she also knows she put in the work to become the very best version of herself, and that’s all you can ask of yourself as a player.

When she walks of the field knowing she made it tough for the opposing team that’s a win for her.

“A lesson I have learned throughout my years is you win some and you lose some, it is about the work you put in afterwards. I may not have won every battle from my freshman year, but I can strongly say I put in my best effort in every game I played; that’s the satisfaction this sport offers,” stated Grazen. “When I walked off the field knowing I made it really difficult for someone to do what they usually do easily, that’s my win. That’s my version of scoring a hat trick.”

Her play on the field is one reason why she has been looked upon as a leader on this team for so long. But, Grazen just didn’t become a leader over night. She observed the leaders before her, and how they would carry themselves on and off the field.

That helped shape the person what Grazen has become. Her goal was never to be in charge. It was to lead by example, and help the younger players get acclimated with the college game just as those captains did with her.

“I didn’t just become a leader overnight, I learned by observing the leaders before me. I watched how they carried themselves and how they lifted people up. As a senior captain and the only captain, my goal wasn’t to “be in charge,” stated Grazen. “My goal was to make everyone around me better. I led warmups, led team huddles, supported younger girls, and I made sure people felt valued to the best of my abilities. I wanted our culture to be based on work ethic and belief in each other. They aren’t just teammates in my eyes, many of them are now lifelong friends.”

As her college career has now come to and end, Grazen is excited to see what the future holds. Soccer has been a big part of her life since she was little, and while she won’t be playing anymore, the game won’t be far away.

The game has taught a lot of things over the years like discipline, resilience, heart and so on. She hopes one day to get back on the field as a coach and take her knowledge and give back to those who want to learn the game like she did.

“It’s scary because this was such a big part of my identity, but it’s exciting too. Soccer taught me discipline, resilience, and heart,” stated Grazen. “I’m majoring in Communication Disorders & Sciences, and I plan to go to grad school to become a Speech–Language Pathologist. One day I hope to coach and bring the cleats back out, just in a different way. Soccer didn’t end, it just changed roles in my life. I’m excited for what’s next in life and ready to accomplish more.”