In her senior season, women's soccer midfielder/forward Alissa Oldenkamp has been a cornerstone of the Sun Devil team that is currently off to its first 2-0 start in Pac-10 play since 2003.
But more importantly, Oldenkamp is trying to take nothing for granted and make the most out of her last year in maroon and gold.
"I'm just trying to enjoy every second of it because before you know it it's going to be over," she said."
Oldenkamp is tied for second on the team in goals with two, but coach Kevin Boyd said the stats don't tell the whole story of what she means to the Sun Devils.
"On the field I think she has been our most impact attacking player on a consistent basis," he said. "She takes [other teams] apart, and she also plays both sides of the ball. In many ways she's our iron woman in the middle."
Boyd said that even opposing teams do not always notice the impact Oldenkamp has on a game until they line up against the Sun Devils.
"One [coach] in particular said they got a terrible scouting report because she wasn't in it," he said. "That's a legitimate complaint because she's been that good in every game."
Oldenkamp officially started playing soccer in a league when she was four, but she became interested in the game at an even younger age because of her brother.
"I started dribbling around when I was two because my brother played soccer and I always had to do everything he did," she said.
Growing up locally in Chandler, Oldenkamp always had an interest in ASU. It became even stronger once the school got a women's soccer team in 1996.
"I've just always liked ASU," she said. "Then they got a soccer team and at first weren't that good, but once I got into high school they started getting better and better so I was like, 'why not?'"
Now in her senior season, Oldenkamp has started every match and is regarded as one of the Sun Devils' most dangerous players.
Before enrolling at ASU, Oldenkamp was home-schooled.
"This is my first real [school] experience," she said of ASU. "[I've gone] from a class size of one — me — to a million."
However, Oldenkamp said not going to a public school did not affect the way she grew up.
"The biggest question I get is, 'How did you have any friends?'" said Oldenkamp, who made friends through sports and church. "It's just funny because I'm not socially awkward but people think that home-schooled kids don't know how to talk to people."
Oldenkamp said she has become a more disciplined player and person during her four years in Tempe.
"The experience of playing in college, being blessed to play soccer at a D-I school is amazing," she said.
Still, with one final month of the season to play, Oldenkamp wants to do whatever she can to help her team continue its hot start in Pac-10 play.
"We still have a really good chance to make [the playoffs] if we do well in the Pac-10," she said. "I'm just hoping for the best."
Reach the reporter at: gina.mizell@asu.edu.
