Women's Soccer: Blossoming Blosser boosts Tigers

Sophomore midfielder Caitlin Blosser just wanted to pick flowers and stare at the sky when she was playing for her first soccer team at the age of 4. Her parents were worried she was not the athletic daughter they wanted her to be. But to their relief, Blosser soon found her athleticism in more ways than one, in tennis, football, baseball, basketball and — of course — soccer.

Eventually, at age 12, Blosser picked soccer as her main sport, playing on the local club team two years above her age group. She said she has loved soccer from the very beginning and has always appreciated the camaraderie the sport provides.

Her coaches and teammates echoed these sentiments, explaining that Blosser has a high comfort level with the team and that her ability to play the entire field never fails to impress.

“While the stats may show her work ethic on offense, there is a lot to be said about her work ethic on defense as well,” sophomore defender Diane Metcalf-Leggette explained.

Since the moment Blosser first came to Princeton on her recruiting trip, she knew that the school was the right fit. She has performed solidly on the field, providing assists on all three goals against Seton Hall on Sept. 5 and assisting on the only goal in the Tiger win against Yale this weekend. In every game this season, she has managed to get her name somewhere in the scorebook, which is why she was named athlete of the week on Sept. 13 by goprincetontigers.com, the official website of Princeton athletics.

While soccer may be Blosser’s most time-consuming and rewarding activity on campus, she also said she enjoys attending other sporting events to cheer on her fellow athletes. Her teammates and friends also pointed to her sense of humor as a defining characteristic.

“She has a great sense of humor — witty, sharp, and [she] has definitely come into her own this season,” head coach Julie Shackford said. “She’s a lot of fun but knows how to turn it on come game time.”

Though her nickname “Blosseraptor” may suggest that she gets her inspiration from prehistoric outlets, she actually enjoys getting pumped up for games by listening to Eminem and watching “Forrest Gump.”

Clearly the Eminem is working. Metcalfe-Leggette said Blosser’s focus on the field as one of the most admirable aspects of her game.

“What I admire most about Cait as a player is her composure on the ball and her ability to make herself available anywhere on the field,” Metcalfe-Leggette explained. “With her back to the goal and defenders tight on her, she is still able to take a settling touch and find that next player. She has the ability to make her presence known on the field by playing ‘big.’ ”

Of course, Blosser’s talents come from years of hard work. She has been committed to soccer since age 12 and has spent nearly every day on the field. She ran twice a day this summer and organized impromptu games with her club teammates at home in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Senior midfielder and captain Alex Valerio and Metcalf-Leggette both noted that while Blosser regularly flies under the proverbial radar, she remains a valuable teammate. Her support has been priceless in games, as she is a regular outlet for panicking teammates.