University Southern California Trojans
Players Mentioned
Attack
/ Women's Lacrosse
Photo by: John McGillen
Meet The Freshman: Finley Ueland
February 07, 2019 | Women's Lacrosse, Features
The No. 21-ranked USC lacrosse team opens the 2019 season at home against Hofstra on February 9
Meet Finley Ueland, a freshman attacker for USC lacrosse. The Women of Troy welcome six talented freshmen for the 2019 season. Get to know each of them a little better as the season approaches. The Trojans host Hofstra on Saturday, Feb. 9, at McAlister Field, with first draw set for noon PT.
So, how are you liking USC so far?
Love it. I love the team. They're all super welcoming. I mean, you can't not love it, it's just better than anywhere else. I don't think I could have gone anywhere else.
How did you decide that USC is where you wanted to be?
My recruitment was kind of bizarre because I was pretty young, and everyone was concerned with me committing so young, just because you don't know what you want at a certain age sometimes. But I thought about every other school, and was like, no thanks. I'm good here. I love it here. The weather is beautiful and that's just the cherry on top of everything else.
Apart from the weather, has there been anything else you've had to adjust to after living on the East Coast?
Of course, yeah. It's just a huge culture shock. I mean, being away from home–it's the farthest and longest I've been away. Not being with my friends, because I've had the same best friends since kindergarten. But with the team, and the freshman class, everyone's so nice, and the coaches make sure that you feel welcomed. Honestly, everyone here, all the staff–coming into these buildings, everyone is just so nice, they act like they've known you their whole life.
Have you gotten the chance to explore LA yet? Where's your favorite place in the city?
I have. Every time my parents come to visit--or even now since I'm here--Manhattan Beach is definitely my favorite place to go. I just love the streets–it's so clean and pretty. It's like a tiny little town, and I never expected that, because I've always lived on the East Coast. It's just crazy that people live here, like are you kidding me? Do you know what the outside world looks like? [laughs] It's beautiful there.
Do you have a favorite class that you've taken here, or that you're taking right now?
I'm in ENST100 [Introduction to Environmental Studies]. My sister studies marine biology and my other sister studied animal sciences, so they're both very involved in the environment. I just found it really interesting learning that our world really does need help. Talking about it, and learning the statistics about the environment, is very interesting.
Is that a career field that you think you might go into after graduation?
I was thinking about it! I had thought before that, oh, I'll just take this class because I'll be able to pay attention and actually enjoy it. But lately I was actually thinking of a minor in it. I'm in business right now, and I definitely want to graduate from this school with a business degree, but the environment is really interesting to me.
Do you have any game day rituals, or a routine that you follow on game days?
I guess I consider this a ritual: I call my mom before every practice. I know it's kind of funny. People will see me on the phone and know, 'she's on the phone again with her mom,' but she's usually driving to work as I'm going to practice, so it's become a little routine that we have. It kind of keeps me sane. My mom's like my best friend.
What do you think is the biggest difference between playing lacrosse in high school and playing in college?
Every single person on this team came from… most likely being the captain and one of the best players on their [high school] team. We all grew up as strong players, in club, and summer, and in high school. I have older sisters who played in college, so I came in knowing 'you're gonna be a freshman.' Like, you've been the best your whole life, and now you're going into a pool with all of the other bests from every other school. And that is super exciting, because I know that I'll be playing with the best of the best, and that will make us all better. It's also an adjustment, because you obviously want to be the best; you want to be the hero, but it humbles you, just seeing how talented everybody is.
What is your proudest achievement from playing in high school?
The first thing that comes to mind is when I got 200 career goals. It was actually the last goal of the game, during my senior year, and if we won we would have gone further. We were all celebrating, but we were all crying at the same time, because we knew that our season was over. The funniest thing was, they made a cake that said, like, "200 goals, whoo-hoo!" and then me and my friends went to Dairy Queen at like 10 at night after the game and just sat there, crying, eating it. I was proud of that, but I thought it was funny, too.
So, how are you liking USC so far?
Love it. I love the team. They're all super welcoming. I mean, you can't not love it, it's just better than anywhere else. I don't think I could have gone anywhere else.
How did you decide that USC is where you wanted to be?
My recruitment was kind of bizarre because I was pretty young, and everyone was concerned with me committing so young, just because you don't know what you want at a certain age sometimes. But I thought about every other school, and was like, no thanks. I'm good here. I love it here. The weather is beautiful and that's just the cherry on top of everything else.
Apart from the weather, has there been anything else you've had to adjust to after living on the East Coast?
Of course, yeah. It's just a huge culture shock. I mean, being away from home–it's the farthest and longest I've been away. Not being with my friends, because I've had the same best friends since kindergarten. But with the team, and the freshman class, everyone's so nice, and the coaches make sure that you feel welcomed. Honestly, everyone here, all the staff–coming into these buildings, everyone is just so nice, they act like they've known you their whole life.
Have you gotten the chance to explore LA yet? Where's your favorite place in the city?
I have. Every time my parents come to visit--or even now since I'm here--Manhattan Beach is definitely my favorite place to go. I just love the streets–it's so clean and pretty. It's like a tiny little town, and I never expected that, because I've always lived on the East Coast. It's just crazy that people live here, like are you kidding me? Do you know what the outside world looks like? [laughs] It's beautiful there.
Do you have a favorite class that you've taken here, or that you're taking right now?
I'm in ENST100 [Introduction to Environmental Studies]. My sister studies marine biology and my other sister studied animal sciences, so they're both very involved in the environment. I just found it really interesting learning that our world really does need help. Talking about it, and learning the statistics about the environment, is very interesting.
Is that a career field that you think you might go into after graduation?
I was thinking about it! I had thought before that, oh, I'll just take this class because I'll be able to pay attention and actually enjoy it. But lately I was actually thinking of a minor in it. I'm in business right now, and I definitely want to graduate from this school with a business degree, but the environment is really interesting to me.
Do you have any game day rituals, or a routine that you follow on game days?
I guess I consider this a ritual: I call my mom before every practice. I know it's kind of funny. People will see me on the phone and know, 'she's on the phone again with her mom,' but she's usually driving to work as I'm going to practice, so it's become a little routine that we have. It kind of keeps me sane. My mom's like my best friend.
What do you think is the biggest difference between playing lacrosse in high school and playing in college?
Every single person on this team came from… most likely being the captain and one of the best players on their [high school] team. We all grew up as strong players, in club, and summer, and in high school. I have older sisters who played in college, so I came in knowing 'you're gonna be a freshman.' Like, you've been the best your whole life, and now you're going into a pool with all of the other bests from every other school. And that is super exciting, because I know that I'll be playing with the best of the best, and that will make us all better. It's also an adjustment, because you obviously want to be the best; you want to be the hero, but it humbles you, just seeing how talented everybody is.
What is your proudest achievement from playing in high school?
The first thing that comes to mind is when I got 200 career goals. It was actually the last goal of the game, during my senior year, and if we won we would have gone further. We were all celebrating, but we were all crying at the same time, because we knew that our season was over. The funniest thing was, they made a cake that said, like, "200 goals, whoo-hoo!" and then me and my friends went to Dairy Queen at like 10 at night after the game and just sat there, crying, eating it. I was proud of that, but I thought it was funny, too.
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