Bennett, Schoening Took The Long Way

This weekend marks the final two home games for six seniors on the UW women’s soccer team. Among the seniors are two, fifth-year seniors who have provided veteran leadership to a squad that was predicted to finish tied for eighth in the Pac-12 and has risen to third place in the conference and No. 17 in the country.

Midfielder Kate Bennett and center back Stine Schoening have a lot in common. In addition to both being fifth-year seniors, the two are great friends and roommates, natives of the Seattle area, played club soccer together through high school, and both decided to take their talents elsewhere at the beginning of their college careers.

Schoening, from Woodinville, Wash., did not originally have UW on her radar during the recruiting process and spent her 2010-2011 season at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She started 19 games as a freshman before deciding to open up her recruitment again.

UW head coach Lesle Gallimore reached out and Schoening ended up taking an official visit before ultimately deciding to return to the Pacific Northwest.

“I liked being in a new setting (at UNC Greensboro) but I have always been a big UW fan and I was really happy with the opportunity to transfer back,” Schoening said.

She played right away in 2011 for UW, starting every game on the back line as a sophomore. In 2012, she started 18 games but sat out in 2013 with a torn quad.

“For Stine, it was probably the best thing for her to play at Greensboro for a year,” Gallimore said. “She played a big role. A year of playing on a team where she got that much playing time really helped her coming in here. She gained a lot of great experience. It helped her figure out what the level was and figure out her confidence.”

Bennett, a Bellevue, Wash., native, was recruited heavily and her choice came down to UW and Cal, but ultimately she chose to go to California to play for the Golden Bears.

“Kate, because she could see my office window from her house, she wanted to branch out a little bit to be honest,” Gallimore said. “We knew we would be fighting the stay home or leave situation, so she ended up at Cal.”

Bennett confirmed Gallimore’s hunch.

“Part of the reason I left was that I lived 10 minutes away,” Bennett said. “I wanted to get out of here and experience something new.“

She played in 39 games, starting 12, and recorded one goal and five assists in two seasons from 2010-2012 before she decided she needed a change. Schoening had already gone through the process of transferring, so Bennett reached out.

“I called Stine because I knew she had been through the process and I asked her,” Bennett said. “After we had a conversation I just thought, ‘okay I want to transfer.’”

Bennett had a previous relationship with Gallimore and UW associate head coach Amy Griffin, who spent time with the U-17 Women’s National Team while Bennett was a member of the squad. Griffin and Bennett got to know each other as they traveled to New Zealand for the 2008 U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We’ve always liked her,” Gallimore said. “We always wanted her and Kate knows that. When she chose Cal, my last words to her were ‘Kate, the door will never close here for you. I’ll always like you as a player. We’ll be happy for you and want you to have success.’ That’s the kind of kid she is, you want to see her do well."

While both Bennett and Schoening originally looked for a change of scenery, the familiarity of the team at UW at the time helped convince each of them to return to Seattle. There were seven girls on the team that the two had played with during their club soccer days.

“Having all those girls on the team ended up being a really good thing and an easy way to transition back,” Schoening said.

With Bennett sitting out 2012-2013 due to transfer rules and Schoening missing all of last season with an injury, this season is a reunion of sorts for the two as it is the first time they have played together since 2010, their senior year of high school.

With a combined 153 collegiate appearances and 115 starts, the two solidify a squad with plenty of new faces.

“Their roles are huge,” Gallimore said. “Not just from a leadership standpoint off the field, but on the field. A center back and center-mid kind of run and set the tempo. They’re vital. They’ve both performed very well this season and are starting to get to the point that their comfort and confidence level grows each match.”

That veteran presence has extended beyond the field as natural leaders, but there are times that their age has humorously not been given the respect it deserves. 

“They call us the grandmas, because we’re both fifth-year seniors and we’re old,” Schoening said. “We like to play cribbage together. We have a paper on our wall that has our scores. We get made fun of.”

Ultimately, both agree that coming to UW has been a success. The duo has helped the Huskies to a 12-4-1 record with three games left in the 2014 season, already the most wins in a season since 2010 when UW finished 13-9-2. 

“I thought transferring was the best decision I could have ever made,” Schoening said. “We’re so spoiled here and I have a really good relationship with our coaches and the team. I love being back in my home state so I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I love it.”

Bennett echoed Schoening’s sentiments.

“I'm really glad that I transferred,” she said. “It was kind of hard at the time. I do miss some things about Cal but overall I’m really happy. I’m having a really good time this year.”

The Huskies host USC on Friday, Oct. 31 and No. 1 UCLA on Sunday, Nov. 2 in what will be the last time the pair suits up at home together during the regular season. Both games are of paramount importance to the Huskies’ spot in the Pac-12 standings and NCAA tournament picture, which many thought UW would be left out of at the beginning of the season. Bennett and Schoening have played a big part in helping this team exceed external expectations.

“They’re two great players to have on our team,” Gallimore concluded. “It’s been fun to watch them with a new and different group. To have the role that they both have, I’m really pleased for them and so happy they chose to join us here at UW. It has really been a pleasure.”