Four years ago, a freshman began her college career on the women’s soccer team at Miami hardly believing she was there. Today, fans couldn’t imagine the team without Britney Butcher, a senior forward who has more than proved herself as an asset to the squad.
Butcher has been playing soccer since she was four years old and competitively since she was fifteen. After attending a tournament in Ft. Lauderdale during her senior year at Bothell High School in Washington, she was asked to visit Miami and consider playing there.
“As soon as [former] Head Coach Jim Blankenship asked me down, I was sold,” Butcher said.
Butcher said she has no idea what will happen in her life after he soccer career ends.
“I can’t imagine my life without soccer,” she said. “It will always be in my life somehow whether I am playing or coaching.”
Butcher hopes that her drive and passion for soccer will lead her to give back to the sport in some fashion.
As a forward she is known for her intense, in-your-face approach to the game that has enabled her to set four all-time career records for Miami, including the most shots, goals scored, game winning points, and overall points scored.
Butcher chooses to deflect questions about her personal accomplishments, instead choosing to speak mostly of playing with her teammates.
“Win or lose every game is fun to be on the field with those girls,” she said.
Butcher said her greatest achievement as an athlete was not setting any of the aforementioned records, but growing and learning as an athlete and a person how to handle situations and treat people with more respect.
Butcher’s positive attitude even after three consecutive losses this season has greatly influenced the rest of the team.
“Britney has become a leader on the team through example,” Head Coach Tricia Taliaferro said. “She always puts forth her best effort in practice and in games.”
Taliaferro has placed the focus for the season on building a strong foundation with the younger players that make up the majority of the team and gaining experience in the ACC. Butcher said that they hoped to make a name for themselves in the new league by playing with as much strength and heart as possible.
Butcher said that the team is always looking for more support albeit financially, from other athletes or more people coming out to see their games.
Butcher offered advice for the younger players on the team.
“Four years goes by so fast,” she said. “Make the most of it as an athlete, a student, and a person.”
Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.