Stephanie Anasi and Madelyn Buckner. Remember the names, because they are the future of the Creighton Women’s soccer team. Both are true freshman and eager to contribute to the team.

Anasi, a native of Arlington, Texas, plays midfield/forward. Her intended major is biology and pre-med, and she has ambitions of becoming a pediatrician.

Anasi’s favorite athlete is Andrei Arashavin, who plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League. Anasi can think of a career-defining moment,

“When my club team, the Dallas Texans, won the national championship in 2008. It was pretty life-changing,” she said.

Anasi has been playing soccer for a very long time. Her older sister played soccer, and Anasi has been playing since she was younger.  Anasi said she intends to contribute to the team as a leader.

“[I hope to help by] giving the team energy when I come in, working hard, trying to connect, and score goals,” she said.

As of the beginning of this week, Anasi has played 137 minutes this season.

Buckner, of Overland Park, Kan., plays defense for the Bluejays. Her major is exercise science, and she has ambitions of becoming a physical therapist. Buckner’s career reached one of its highlights while she was at a fairly young age.

“My sophomore year of high school we were in a tournament in Florida, and we had lost our first two games,” she said. “Our last one we were playing Dallas Sting. It was 0-0, and I scored the winning goal on a crazy cross. It made the weekend better and I knew that I could carry a team.”

Buckner began playing soccer in a recreational league during kindergarten. She actually took a yearlong break from soccer so that she could try dance, but she returned to playing soccer in the third grade.

Buckner said she wants to contribute to the Bluejays this season by working as hard as she can and being someone that her teammates can rely on when on the field. Buckner has played 690 minutes this season as a true freshman and played in every game to this point.

Having a winning mentality makes an impact when playing at a higher level of competition.

These two young women are a tremendous addition to Creighton women’s soccer team, and it will be exciting to watch them develop and lead the team throughout their collegiate soccer careers.

The team has a 5-4-1 record. The next home soccer game will be on Wednesday, Oct. 5, against Wright State University.