Meet the Bulls

While some students have trouble leaving home and moving across the state to go to college, goalkeeper Anna-Lesa Calvert of the UB women's soccer team remained modestly unfazed by her cross-country commute.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Calvert was simply looking "to go somewhere different, just for the experience."

"When coach (Tassy) called, I figured I would look at the school, but I didn't really think I would end up at UB," she said. "But when I left, I knew this was where I wanted to be."

Although the cold weather proved to be a slight hindrance in the beginning, Calvert had no problem quickly adjusting to Western New York.

"It was kind of hard to adjust to the weather - I didn't even have a jacket that was heavier than my high school letterman jacket," she said. "I literally froze every practice my freshman year ... now though I don't really get as cold, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be."

Besides the opposite climatic features that Buffalo and Dallas have to offer, Calvert also noted the difference in personality types fostered by each city.

"People in Buffalo are very up front ... we're taught in Texas very early that people are to behave a certain way, and bluntness is not in that behavior pattern," said Calvert. "It was a tough adjustment at first, but I adore the people here more and more everyday."

Calvert was enthusiastic when mentioning her favorite aspect of UB: the friends she has made and the friendships that she has developed.

"I really love just about everything about playing for UB. I love the games, my teammates, the practices, the people in the athletics department," said Calvert.

A junior academically and a sophomore athletically (Calvert was a medical redshirt in her freshman season at UB), Calvert learned the importance of hard work at an early age. She lists her parents and her little sister as her greatest influences.

"They demanded a lot of me and I'm so happy they did because it taught me to always work hard," said Calvert.

A double major in psychology and history, Calvert has big plans for her future. She plans on going to grad school here at UB, and then returning back to the Lonestar State to earn her masters degree.

"I want to do something with sports psychology and one of the schools at home has a great sports-psych grad school, so I'm going to try and go to school for a sports-psych masters there," she said.

Besides her ambitious plans for the future, what distinguishes Calvert from the average college athlete is the fact that she is passionately committed not only to her specific sport, but to UB Athletics in its entirety.

"I come from a place where no matter how poorly or how well a team does, the people will be at the game," Calvert said. "In Texas, people go to schools just to be a part of the traditions, and I think that's something that UB really lacks."

In terms of her own sport, Calvert wasted little time in earning the starting nod as goalie just five games into her freshman season. She finished the year with a 6-5-4 record, recording four shutouts while making 54 saves and touting a 1.17 goals against average. Comparing herself to the quarterback on a football team, Calvert mentioned the necessity in having a vocal goalkeeper.

"A goalkeeper has to own the air, the ground and everything in between when the ball is in the 18-yard box," she said. "A goalkeeper is the first line of offense and the last line of defense."

Mental toughness is also a talent that a goalie must garner, and Calvert is no stranger to the mental aspect of the game.

"They have to be able to make the big save, but they also have to be psychologically strong enough to move on when they don't," Calvert said. "A goalkeeper's mistake is seen by everyone, and sometimes it's really hard."

Heading into this season with a year of experience in the MAC under her belt, Calvert sought to improve on her numbers.

"Personally, I wanted to improve on last season," she said. "I wanted to 'own my box' which means that I would have a presence on the field. This lets my teammates have more confidence in my play and forces opponents to worry about one more thing when they are trying to score."

With the MAC playoffs just around the corner, Calvert has used her sophomore season to aid in reaching her goal of improvement, posting an impressive 8-6-1 record in goal while recording 55 saves.

"We always expect to be in the MAC playoffs, and to have a successful season," said Calvert. "We work really hard to ensure those goals are met each year and every year we come closer and closer to our overall goal of making it into the NCAA's."

Five Random Questions with Anna-Lesa Calvert

1) Do you have any superstitions?

A: TONS! Right now the prominent ones are that my shin guard with the tag has to be on my right leg when I play and the other one is that I listen to a song from the Disney movie Mulan before each game. I don't like for my traditions to be messed up, but if they are, it's not the end of the world for me.

2) Who do you predict will win the World Series?

A: Well, I wanted the series to be the Red Sox vs. the Cubs, just because I think that would be a great story, but that didn't so much happen. So now I guess I'll cheer for the Marlins because Pudge plays for them and he used to be a Texas Ranger. Other than that I don't follow baseball nearly as much as I do football. GO COWBOYS!

3) Who would you rather be: a) Cat Woman, b) Wonder Woman, c) Xena Princess Warrior or d) Mr. T?

A: I'm not a huge fan of that group, but I think if I had to pick an 80's cartoon character it would be Jem. Some people don't remember, but she was this cool normal girl who had like magic earrings that when she touched them she became a singing superstar. It was AWESOME!

4) Do you consider the Cheese-It America's favorite snack cracker?

A: Cheese-It's are by far the BEST cracker ever made. They make Cheese Nips look like child's play. Honestly, I could live off of Cheese-It's.

5) Better fabric: fleece or flannel?

A: Fleece for sure. I think it keeps you warmer and its snuggly too!