Growing up, soccer was my life. I lived and breathed soccer. I started when I was four, and played along side the same girls up until graduation at 18. My team became my second family, and my last day on the field with my team is a day I will never forget. Soccer not only was a sport I fell in love with, but it became my life. It became my escape, and it's a time in my life that I would go back to in a heart beat if I was ever given the opportunity.

So I figured it appropriate to collect a list of things that my 'non-soccer playing' friends would never understand about the sport I fell in love with.

1. The smell of wet soccer cleats.

Yeah, the smell was awful, and it made my coaches car reek for a week. But it also meant that outdoor season was here, and all soccer players know that nothing beats outdoor season.

2. The amount of pressure you feel before taking a penalty kick in OT.

Probably the most stressful part of the game. All of sudden it's like you forgot how to kick the ball, but then you place it and the ball skims over the goalies fingers and falls down the back of the net... it's the worst and greatest feeling in the world.

3. Suicide drills

The absolute WORST part of practice. When coach said "get on the line" and grab his whistle, you knew it was time to sprint until you died.

4. Getting the perfect cross from the wing.

The moment in the game where you truly felt like a pro. Nothing felt better than a perfect cross from the outside and you being in the right place at the right time to finish and get the ball into the back of the net.

5. That one player every game that really pushed your buttons.

No matter what, there was always that one player on the opposite team that just did everything in their power to aggravate you. Whether it was being cocky or just playing dirty, there was always that one person you just wanted to shove to the ground whenever you were given the opportunity.

6. Watching your favorite player on TV and trying to mimic their footwork.

Because after every big game, the first ten minutes of the next practice was trying to mimic Ronaldo's footwork or Messi's cross to use in the next home game. And we know we all tried to "bend it like Beckham"

7. The excitement behind getting a new uniform, cleats, ball, etc.

Getting a new ball or new jersey was honestly the best thing. It was like Christmas year round. And it made you so excited to go to practice and use your new ball or play a game in your new cleats. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and made a new season even more exciting!