Who is the comedian, soon-to-be teacher and star soccer player at Cabrini College? Her name is Annmarie Kolla.
Kolla has been playing soccer since she was in the 2nd grade, along with softball and basketball. Out of the three, soccer is the only one she plays at the collegiate level and it is her favorite sport.
Choosing Cabrini was an easy decision for Kolla. She knew that she could play soccer here at the Divison III level. After meeting with Ken Prothero, the head coach of the women’s soccer team, she knew instantly that she wanted to come and be a part of the Cabrini women’s soccer team.
“Ken was just so nice and made the school and the team look so appealing. He made it so that I couldn’t say no and go somewhere else,” Kolla said.
“Annmarie has the great balance of being funny at practice but also knowing when to work hard,” Ken Prothero, head coach, said. “She makes practice fun and makes everyone want to be there. She is one of the funniest girls I know.”
During games, Kolla knows when to be serious and how to get the job done. Last year alone, Kolla had four game-winning goals for the Lady Cavaliers. This is including the game winning goal in overtime to win the CSAC championship against Marywood. So far this year, she has two gamewinning goals under her belt.
Kolla is an elementary education major. She has always had a special spot for children and has always wanted to be a teacher. With only 12 credits this semester, she is excited to start student teaching in the spring.
Although Kolla has always wanted to be an elementary education teacher, she wasn’t such a great elementary student herself. “She never really cared about school in elementary school. She just always cared about athletics and being the funny girl that she is,” Lori Kolla, Annmaries’ mother, said.
Gianna Porretta has been Kolla’s roommate for three years and says that she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’ve become best friends. She always keeps things entertaining and is always fun to be around. Anyone who knows her, knows that there is never a dull day with her,” Porretta said.
Although Kolla has been playing soccer since 2nd grade, she still enjoys every minute of it. Some people get to college and think that soccer isn’t fun anymore or it’s not what they want to do. That hasn’t stopped Kolla. She has pre-game individual and team rituals before every single game.
Her individual rituals consist of getting ready and putting her clothes in the same exact order. She also wears the same sports bra, underwear and socks for both home and away games. Every night before a game she listens to a playlist on her iTunes called the bedtime playlist. It consists of over 300 songs that put her to sleep, but she usually doesn’t make it past song four.
As for the team ritual, everyone on the team writes on their arms in permanent marker. They write things to get them pumped up for the game such as “got your back” and “never give up.”
“Yes, I still love it. Every team is a new experience. Cabrini has been one of the best experiences of my life. I love the team and we get along great,” Kolla said.
