Women's Soccer: For Seitz, old habits die hard

Most athletes have superstitious habits, and women’s soccer senior defender Melissa Seitz is no exception. While others wear a lucky pair of socks or listen to a certain song, this tri-captain of the women’s soccer team straightens her hair in preparation for a game.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Seitz said. “My hair is curly, but before every game, I’m spending hours straightening it.”

Not surprisingly, the rest of the team finds her habit amusing. “We all give her a hard time about this,” senior forward and fellow tri-captain Marci Pasenello said in an e-mail.

Seitz has also stood in the same spot in the pre-game lineup for every game in her collegiate career so far, and she always eats a piece of chocolate before a game and “GU” energy gel during halftime for a quick boost.

Whether these routines have any effect or merely help her relax before games, the stars have aligned for Seitz’s soccer career. A native of Basking Ridge, N.J., Seitz grew up playing soccer recreationally before she played for the local Players Development Academy (PDA) for 10 years.

The Star-Ledger named her first-team all-state in her junior and senior years of high school, and she was the Central New Jersey Courier News’ Player of the Year in 2003. With the PDA New Jersey Wildcats, Seitz won a national championship in 2003, made the semifinals in 2004 and reached the finals in 2005 and 2006. Every single one of her teammates went on to play Division I soccer.

When head coach Julie Shackford began recruiting her in 2005, it was clear that Seitz could contribute a huge amount to the Princeton program.

“I thought she had a great understanding of the game … and I knew from her coaches and teammates that they all loved and respected her,” Shackford said in an e-mail.

After playing nearly every day with a competitive and successful club team, the opportunity to continue her career in Division I soccer and get a top-quality education at the same time made a lot of sense. In addition, her father was an alumnus, adding to her comfort and familiarity with Princeton.

Seitz quickly became an invaluable member on the Tiger roster. As a freshman, she started in 13 games and played in 15, and she played and started in every game of her sophomore and junior seasons. After the 2008 season, she earned a spot on the honorable mention All-Ivy squad. She stepped into the role of captain as a junior, and she has continued in this position as a senior with the support of fellow tri-captains Pasenello and junior midfielder Kayleigh Iatarola.

Seitz takes this job seriously, especially when the team needs extra support and energy.

“We’re having a losing season right now,” Seitz said. “We lost to Yale, which is a big loss, but my job — along with Marci Pasenello and Kayleigh Iatarola, the other two captains — is to stay positive and continue to keep the team morale up. My job on the field is to keep the team calm and relaxed.”

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Especially in rough patches, the team looks to Seitz to set the tone.

“She is like the team mom,” Shackford said. “She has a caretaker personality, and now in her second year as captain, we hope she can help us get out of our slump and back on track.”

Pasenello also said that Seitz is well-equipped for such a responsibility with her mix of skill and personality.

“She is the anchor of our defense and an extremely tough competitor,” Pasenello said. “In terms of leadership, Melissa is someone who knows how to take charge, rally the team and keep everyone focused and motivated. At the same time, Melissa is one of the most compassionate and sincere individuals that I know.”

Seitz’ favorite soccer moment at Princeton came last season, after the Tigers defeated Penn to clinch a share of the Ivy League title.

“It was amazing after Taylor [Numann ’09] scored her second goal and we all piled onto each other,” Seitz said. “It was my favorite moment ever.”

Though her soccer career may come to a close after this season ends, Seitz said that she believes her athletic experience will help her in the long run.

“I’ve grown as a person because of soccer,” Seitz explained. “I think everything — my leadership ability and all those traits I’ve come to know because I’m a soccer player — will help me in the future.”