Colleen Boyd
EVERYDAY CHAMPION: COLLEEN BOYD Junior goalkeeper Colleen Boyd excels both on the pitch and in the classroom. The La Cañada, Calif. native is majoring in pre-education with an Oregon State cumulative GPA of 3.58. On the pitch, she is hitting the books, record books that is. Earlier this season, Boyd set the Oregon State record for consecutive scoreless minutes when she posted five consecutive shutouts to start the season. She currently has seven shutouts on the season which is second all-time at Oregon State for solo shutouts in a season. She has started and played every minute in goal for the Beavers this year and with one more win will pass the 20 win mark for her career. The OSU Athletics Communications staff had a chance to sit down with the Boyd, to get her thoughts on Oregon State, Beaver Nation and being a leader on and off the pitch. What brought you to Oregon State? “I chose to come to Oregon State because of the awesome campus. I came on my first visit with absolutely no intention of coming to Oregon or playing in Oregon. I’m from southern California so I was all about the sun, the sand and the surf. I came to OSU and it was a completely different atmosphere. The campus is gorgeous; it’s like an ivy league with the brick buildings and white trim. The people are awesome and the community is great. It was just a really awesome experience so I committed the day after my visit and it’s been a really great choice for me.” What were your expectations coming into Oregon State? “Coming into Oregon State, I had absolutely no expectations. Obviously I had never been to Oregon, I knew nothing about Oregon other than the fact that I liked the campus and I wanted to play for this school. I liked Linus and I liked the girls and other than that I had no expectations other than coming in here and doing my best and working my hardest. Because of that it’s definitely exceeded the expectations I didn’t have. It’s a really awesome place to go to school and play soccer and be a part of a really awesome community.”
difference, and let the community know we do care. We are here to help; we would really like to be there for everyone. The Valley parking I know is one of our biggest most exciting events because we drive some pretty cool cars and it’s fun to meet alumni that are really supportive of our team and all the other athletic programs. Some of us helped with the Haiti relief when we were packing stuff and putting it on trucks. I know a lot of our team wasn’t too big in that project, but the ones who did go it was really rewarding. I think it is really awesome that OSU makes it such a big deal that we help and contribute as much as possible. Because obviously we understand that without the community and without everyone else that is supporting us it would be pretty hard for us to be here.” What does being an “Everyday Champion” mean to you? “I am really honored to be named an Everyday Champion. To be an Everyday Champion, I think it shows a lot of commitment and leadership on and off the field. It’s been a really awesome experience for me and I think I learned a lot about myself and I am really looking forward to being able to apply everything that I’ve learned here as far as dedication, leadership, teamwork, all those things that go into being a student-athlete are really going to help me after I graduate and put into a profession. I would really like to get into coaching; I think it would be really awesome. A lot of the things I’ve learned from Linus (Rhode) and Michelle (Voiland) and Eric (Pohl) and everyone else that has contributed to my experience I think it’s going to be really helpful for me once I start working with other people and really give back and teach people what I know. I think that an Everyday Champion is just someone that really loves OSU, loves the school, and is willing to work hard every day for whatever their goals are.” What roll do academics play in your life? “Academics have always been a really big part of my life and I’ve always worked really hard to keep my grades up and trying to keep myself motivated to stay on top of the ball and get my homework done and turn in my papers. Being a student-athlete has definitely raised the bar in that department because with all of the traveling and the practice and the drills and everything else. It’s just exhausting, and it’s really hard to stay on top of everything and make sure you are still academically focused. Because it’s always been such a big part of my life to stay on top of things and get good grades and all that stuff, I think that
How are you involved on campus or in the community outside of athletics? “Because I’m a pre-education major, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to volunteer at elementary schools off of campus and in preschools. I have a family friend that is a teacher at one of the local preschools so I’ve been able to come into her class and work with the kids. I have my little beagle puppy that I bring in and all the kids love her and think she’s the best thing ever. It’s just been really cool to have an outside experience and meet some really cool kids and families and really get an outside look at what the Corvallis community is like outside of practices and the running and the lifting and the traveling. It gets pretty overwhelming and it takes you out of the community a little bit so it’s really nice to get back out there and see what I get to be doing after I graduate. Hopefully I can stay a part of Beaver Nation and everything that Corvallis has to offer.” What community service do you and the team participate in? “So community service wise, I think our team makes it a really big issue to get out and help people and make a
Colleen Boyd is having one of the best seasons in Oregon State women’s soccer history
because I have such an awesome foundation from my parents and my high school that it really helped transition to OSU and being a student-athlete. I definitely think that it’s super important. And for those kids that are out there that are like `oh I want to be a student athlete and play football whatever,’ well I don’t think people understand what a big deal it is to make sure you’re a student-athlete, you need to be doing your homework, you need to go to class, you can’t sleep in, I know you’re tired but it is really important that you get this stuff done because ultimately you want to graduate and you want to get a job. So I think it’s really important and I think academics play a huge part.” How does the support of “Beaver Nation” help you reach your goals? “I think that Beaver Nation’s support for me and the women’s soccer team has been a really great thing for us. One thing that pops in my head in particular, even though we didn’t win, was the game against Stanford last year at home and having this insane crowd, I can’t even tell you how cool it was. People were standing, you couldn’t even sit anywhere. They were yelling, screaming, and just everyone was totally behind us and wanted us to pull out that win. It’s things like that, that really inspires us as a team and lets us know that Beaver Nation is behind us all the way. It not only makes us want to win for ourselves but for Corvallis and all the people that are here.” If you could talk directly to “Beaver Nation,” what would you tell them? “Thank you Beaver Nation, I appreciate all the support you give us every single day and I know that every single athlete out there is totally 100 percent thankful for all the support you give us, all the cheering, all the tailgating, all the barbeques, all the TVs that sit around at home, sitting on the couch cheering us on, it’s just really awesome to have such a great fan base. You know without you guys we wouldn’t be here so keep it up Beaver Nation, thanks a lot.” What is it like playing for head coach Linus Rhode? “Playing for Linus Rhode has definitely been a really awesome experience for me. He’s really committed to the team and the girls and I know he really cares a lot about the program. He’s been here for a lot of years now and I think it means a lot to him that the team is producing as much as it is. It has been a really awesome experience for me to be a part of this team’s tradition and the growth. He is a really fun guy, with a really good personality and he makes it really easy to talk to. He is really inspiring and he really pushes the girls to be the best they can be. I’ve really enjoyed the past three or so years that I’ve been here and I look forward to another year and a half or so.” What do you bring to the team as a leader? “As a leader on this team, I think that being a goalkeeper and being in the very back I get to see everything, I am aware of everything that’s going on and so I think that it’s really important for me and it’s a huge part of my position to be a very big vocal leader on the field because obviously I can’t go out on the field, I can’t push people around, I can’t go score goals, I am pretty much stuck back there. So I think it is really key for me to be vocal, to be motivational, to be directional, let people know what’s going on and what’s happening, where they need to be, it’s a big part of my game and my position and who I am. I really think that I fully embraced that and it’s definitely one of my favorite parts of being a goalkeeper.”
difference, and let the community know we do care. We are here to help; we would really like to be there for everyone. The Valley parking I know is one of our biggest most exciting events because we drive some pretty cool cars and it’s fun to meet alumni that are really supportive of our team and all the other athletic programs. Some of us helped with the Haiti relief when we were packing stuff and putting it on trucks. I know a lot of our team wasn’t too big in that project, but the ones who did go it was really rewarding. I think it is really awesome that OSU makes it such a big deal that we help and contribute as much as possible. Because obviously we understand that without the community and without everyone else that is supporting us it would be pretty hard for us to be here.” What does being an “Everyday Champion” mean to you? “I am really honored to be named an Everyday Champion. To be an Everyday Champion, I think it shows a lot of commitment and leadership on and off the field. It’s been a really awesome experience for me and I think I learned a lot about myself and I am really looking forward to being able to apply everything that I’ve learned here as far as dedication, leadership, teamwork, all those things that go into being a student-athlete are really going to help me after I graduate and put into a profession. I would really like to get into coaching; I think it would be really awesome. A lot of the things I’ve learned from Linus (Rhode) and Michelle (Voiland) and Eric (Pohl) and everyone else that has contributed to my experience I think it’s going to be really helpful for me once I start working with other people and really give back and teach people what I know. I think that an Everyday Champion is just someone that really loves OSU, loves the school, and is willing to work hard every day for whatever their goals are.” What roll do academics play in your life? “Academics have always been a really big part of my life and I’ve always worked really hard to keep my grades up and trying to keep myself motivated to stay on top of the ball and get my homework done and turn in my papers. Being a student-athlete has definitely raised the bar in that department because with all of the traveling and the practice and the drills and everything else. It’s just exhausting, and it’s really hard to stay on top of everything and make sure you are still academically focused. Because it’s always been such a big part of my life to stay on top of things and get good grades and all that stuff, I think that
How are you involved on campus or in the community outside of athletics? “Because I’m a pre-education major, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to volunteer at elementary schools off of campus and in preschools. I have a family friend that is a teacher at one of the local preschools so I’ve been able to come into her class and work with the kids. I have my little beagle puppy that I bring in and all the kids love her and think she’s the best thing ever. It’s just been really cool to have an outside experience and meet some really cool kids and families and really get an outside look at what the Corvallis community is like outside of practices and the running and the lifting and the traveling. It gets pretty overwhelming and it takes you out of the community a little bit so it’s really nice to get back out there and see what I get to be doing after I graduate. Hopefully I can stay a part of Beaver Nation and everything that Corvallis has to offer.” What community service do you and the team participate in? “So community service wise, I think our team makes it a really big issue to get out and help people and make a
Colleen Boyd is having one of the best seasons in Oregon State women’s soccer history
because I have such an awesome foundation from my parents and my high school that it really helped transition to OSU and being a student-athlete. I definitely think that it’s super important. And for those kids that are out there that are like `oh I want to be a student athlete and play football whatever,’ well I don’t think people understand what a big deal it is to make sure you’re a student-athlete, you need to be doing your homework, you need to go to class, you can’t sleep in, I know you’re tired but it is really important that you get this stuff done because ultimately you want to graduate and you want to get a job. So I think it’s really important and I think academics play a huge part.” How does the support of “Beaver Nation” help you reach your goals? “I think that Beaver Nation’s support for me and the women’s soccer team has been a really great thing for us. One thing that pops in my head in particular, even though we didn’t win, was the game against Stanford last year at home and having this insane crowd, I can’t even tell you how cool it was. People were standing, you couldn’t even sit anywhere. They were yelling, screaming, and just everyone was totally behind us and wanted us to pull out that win. It’s things like that, that really inspires us as a team and lets us know that Beaver Nation is behind us all the way. It not only makes us want to win for ourselves but for Corvallis and all the people that are here.” If you could talk directly to “Beaver Nation,” what would you tell them? “Thank you Beaver Nation, I appreciate all the support you give us every single day and I know that every single athlete out there is totally 100 percent thankful for all the support you give us, all the cheering, all the tailgating, all the barbeques, all the TVs that sit around at home, sitting on the couch cheering us on, it’s just really awesome to have such a great fan base. You know without you guys we wouldn’t be here so keep it up Beaver Nation, thanks a lot.” What is it like playing for head coach Linus Rhode? “Playing for Linus Rhode has definitely been a really awesome experience for me. He’s really committed to the team and the girls and I know he really cares a lot about the program. He’s been here for a lot of years now and I think it means a lot to him that the team is producing as much as it is. It has been a really awesome experience for me to be a part of this team’s tradition and the growth. He is a really fun guy, with a really good personality and he makes it really easy to talk to. He is really inspiring and he really pushes the girls to be the best they can be. I’ve really enjoyed the past three or so years that I’ve been here and I look forward to another year and a half or so.” What do you bring to the team as a leader? “As a leader on this team, I think that being a goalkeeper and being in the very back I get to see everything, I am aware of everything that’s going on and so I think that it’s really important for me and it’s a huge part of my position to be a very big vocal leader on the field because obviously I can’t go out on the field, I can’t push people around, I can’t go score goals, I am pretty much stuck back there. So I think it is really key for me to be vocal, to be motivational, to be directional, let people know what’s going on and what’s happening, where they need to be, it’s a big part of my game and my position and who I am. I really think that I fully embraced that and it’s definitely one of my favorite parts of being a goalkeeper.”
