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Celia Story, Women’s Soccer: Senior Perspective Q&A
12/19/2019 9:39:00 AM | Women's Soccer
After missing the majority of the 2018 season due to injury, Brown women's soccer's Celia Story returned for a fifth season in 2019. This past fall, she helped the Bears win their first Ivy League title and make their first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 1994. Now that her career is complete, she offers her perspective on her time at Brown.
Q: You missed the majority of the 2018 season – what would have been your senior season – due to injury. What is there about the Brown women's soccer program that made you determined to return to the field for the 2019 season as a fifth-year senior?
A: The BWS program is special and has seen so much growth over the past five years that I've been here. I understood the potential of the team and felt as though my work with the program wasn't done. We set a goal to win the Ivy League, and I knew this team was capable of doing that, so I wanted to return to see all our hard work pay off.
Q: From the time that you left the field on August 31, 2018 to the time that you returned on August 30, 2019, what was the process like for you to be mentally and physically prepared to step back onto the field?
A: Taking time off from school for any situation is hard – you sacrifice a lot. I missed special time with my friends senior year and missed out on some experiences. Physically, anyone who goes through surgery and rehab to return to competing at a high level knows it is a grueling process. Physically and mentally it was painful, and there were several ups and downs, but what kept me going was knowing that I got to step onto Stevenson-Pincince Field again in a Brown jersey.
Q: The team had a historic season in 2019, winning the Ivy League championship, making the NCAA tournament, and setting team records for wins and shutouts. What made this year's team so special?
A: We had all the right ingredients: talented players, dedicated coaching staff, leadership, and experience. We also had grit, and we made a promise together before the season that we were all 110 percent in. We had a feeling this was our year and worked every day to make that happen. Sometimes you have all those ingredients and things still don't go your way, but I think our set-in-stone determination is what pushed us over the edge. Some of the leaders on the team understood what it was like to get close to winning the league and failing, and we were hell-bent on not letting that happen again.
Q: Brown clinched the Ivy League championship at home with a win over Penn in double overtime. With all the ups and downs of your five seasons, what was it like to celebrate winning the Ivy title on your home field?
A: It was an indescribable experience, one you always picture in your head but can't fully grasp until you're there in that moment. It was full circle for me, and I feel so grateful it was at home, and I was able to share it with my family and teammates on senior night.
Q: Brown hosted Monmouth in the first round of the NCAA Championship and advanced after penalty kicks, 4-1. What was it like to play in that environment and to make one of the penalty kicks that sent the Bears to the second round?
A: Nothing can prepare you for how exciting and intense post season is until you've been to post season. Playing in the NCAA tournament and getting a win like that at home in front of the Brown fans meant everything to us as a team. The high stakes of the penalty kicks made the win that much sweeter too.
Q: You served Brown as a captain in both 2018 and 2019. What did it mean to you to act as a captain for this program, especially with all of the success of this past season?
A: It was such an honor to be a captain for this program and so rewarding to have the success we did this season. My co-captains and I worked very well together, and it was validating to know our leadership helped push our team to break records.
Q: You were the last active student-athlete to play for retired head coach Phil Pincince, who won 12 Ivy League titles during his time at Brown. What does it mean to you to both have a connection to the tradition of success in the program and to help forge a new chapter in the program's history?
A: There's a quote on the side of the Nelson Fitness Center that says "there's always old Brown, and there's always new Brown." I've always loved that quote, and I think it represents that connection. It's a special feeling to represent the old and the new of BWS. It connects me to the alumnae that played under Coach Pincince, and I'm lucky enough to play for Coach McNeill as well. It's bittersweet to be a BWS alumna now, but I can't wait to watch what they do in the future – BWS is talented.
Q: Over the course of five seasons, you shared a lot of moments with the other members of your team. How did your relationships with teammates and coaches shape your Brown experience?
A: My relationships with my teammates and coaches at Brown mean the world to me. It may sound cliché, but Brown is a magical place and gave me some of my best friends and fondest memories. Finishing my career at Brown on my own terms with an Ivy League ring and the chance to compete in the NCAA tournament is a dream. Brown helped me grow as a person, player, and leader, and I already miss wearing those letters across my chest. Ever True.
Gallery: (12/19/2019) Celia Story: Senior Perspective
Q: You missed the majority of the 2018 season – what would have been your senior season – due to injury. What is there about the Brown women's soccer program that made you determined to return to the field for the 2019 season as a fifth-year senior?
A: The BWS program is special and has seen so much growth over the past five years that I've been here. I understood the potential of the team and felt as though my work with the program wasn't done. We set a goal to win the Ivy League, and I knew this team was capable of doing that, so I wanted to return to see all our hard work pay off.
Q: From the time that you left the field on August 31, 2018 to the time that you returned on August 30, 2019, what was the process like for you to be mentally and physically prepared to step back onto the field?
A: Taking time off from school for any situation is hard – you sacrifice a lot. I missed special time with my friends senior year and missed out on some experiences. Physically, anyone who goes through surgery and rehab to return to competing at a high level knows it is a grueling process. Physically and mentally it was painful, and there were several ups and downs, but what kept me going was knowing that I got to step onto Stevenson-Pincince Field again in a Brown jersey.
Q: The team had a historic season in 2019, winning the Ivy League championship, making the NCAA tournament, and setting team records for wins and shutouts. What made this year's team so special?
A: We had all the right ingredients: talented players, dedicated coaching staff, leadership, and experience. We also had grit, and we made a promise together before the season that we were all 110 percent in. We had a feeling this was our year and worked every day to make that happen. Sometimes you have all those ingredients and things still don't go your way, but I think our set-in-stone determination is what pushed us over the edge. Some of the leaders on the team understood what it was like to get close to winning the league and failing, and we were hell-bent on not letting that happen again.
Q: Brown clinched the Ivy League championship at home with a win over Penn in double overtime. With all the ups and downs of your five seasons, what was it like to celebrate winning the Ivy title on your home field?
A: It was an indescribable experience, one you always picture in your head but can't fully grasp until you're there in that moment. It was full circle for me, and I feel so grateful it was at home, and I was able to share it with my family and teammates on senior night.
Q: Brown hosted Monmouth in the first round of the NCAA Championship and advanced after penalty kicks, 4-1. What was it like to play in that environment and to make one of the penalty kicks that sent the Bears to the second round?
A: Nothing can prepare you for how exciting and intense post season is until you've been to post season. Playing in the NCAA tournament and getting a win like that at home in front of the Brown fans meant everything to us as a team. The high stakes of the penalty kicks made the win that much sweeter too.
Q: You served Brown as a captain in both 2018 and 2019. What did it mean to you to act as a captain for this program, especially with all of the success of this past season?
A: It was such an honor to be a captain for this program and so rewarding to have the success we did this season. My co-captains and I worked very well together, and it was validating to know our leadership helped push our team to break records.
Q: You were the last active student-athlete to play for retired head coach Phil Pincince, who won 12 Ivy League titles during his time at Brown. What does it mean to you to both have a connection to the tradition of success in the program and to help forge a new chapter in the program's history?
A: There's a quote on the side of the Nelson Fitness Center that says "there's always old Brown, and there's always new Brown." I've always loved that quote, and I think it represents that connection. It's a special feeling to represent the old and the new of BWS. It connects me to the alumnae that played under Coach Pincince, and I'm lucky enough to play for Coach McNeill as well. It's bittersweet to be a BWS alumna now, but I can't wait to watch what they do in the future – BWS is talented.
Q: Over the course of five seasons, you shared a lot of moments with the other members of your team. How did your relationships with teammates and coaches shape your Brown experience?
A: My relationships with my teammates and coaches at Brown mean the world to me. It may sound cliché, but Brown is a magical place and gave me some of my best friends and fondest memories. Finishing my career at Brown on my own terms with an Ivy League ring and the chance to compete in the NCAA tournament is a dream. Brown helped me grow as a person, player, and leader, and I already miss wearing those letters across my chest. Ever True.
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