Hannah Griffiths Boston is a sophomore on the women's soccer team and she has taken on blogging duties for the 2015 season. Hannah will check in from time to time with an update on the team and provide fans with a "behind the scenes" look at the UP women's soccer program.

Entry #1
Aug. 25, 2015
 
Hello Readers!
Welcome to the University of Portland women's soccer blog. My name is Hannah Griffiths Boston and I will be responsible for all blog duties this 2015 season. A little bit about me: I am a sophomore, a vegetarian, and have an undying love for good cookies, Star Wars, Kanye West, and of course soccer. I couldn't find a picture to capture all of my loves, but this one came close:
 
 

Anyway! If you haven't had the pleasure of watching the freshmen introduction videos, you def should. Our freshmen are awesome. Besides just being extremely positive, fun individuals, the freshmen have proven to be a very useful group. Their most useful moment was probably about two weeks into summer school when they gave everyone on the team a nickname. The nicknames are as follows:
 
Rachel Lusby: Rhonda
This nickname doesn't really count as new because Rhonda's club team came up with this one (shout out to FC Portland), but it is certainly the nickname that has stuck the most. Our coach even uses this one, so you know it's serious.
 
Jessica Kennedy: Kenny
This is a practical nickname that was welcomed warmly by the recipient. It has yet to stick, probably because her go-to nickname is still Jessminda
 
Sarah Jones: SJ
If you've seen the Blindside, then you know the little brother is named SJ. If you know the Blindside and Sarah, then you know she is a spitting image of SJ. Also her initials are SJ, but that has nothing to do with it. Sarah Jones is on the right BTW.


 
Alyssa Edenstrom: Smalls
This nickname is great because Alyssa is not small, she is six feet tall. This also goes hand-in-hand with the following person's nickname who happens to be her roommate and best friend on the team.
 
Allison Wetherington: Big Al
This nickname is ironic because if you've seen Allison, you know she is not big whatsoever. She stands a whopping 5'4" and her legs are probably the size of my arms. But despite how small she it, she's a feisty one…so watch out for Big Al.
 
Parkes Kendrick: Drives
I don't really think this one needs an explanation. Parkes...Drives… it just makes sense.
 
Ellie Boon: Loon
If you say "Ellie Boon" enough times fast enough it sounds like "loon." Also, if you know Ellie, she's pretty wild. So again, freshmen nailed the nickname.
 
Haylee DeGrood: Troy
This one has quite the story. Some people on the team started to call each other by their middle names. When the freshmen found out Haylee's middle name is Gabrielle, they thought that was close enough to Gabriella. From Gabriella, their minds instantly jumped to High School Musical and that's where they settled on Troy. Sorry guys, this one hasn't stuck yet. I don't actually think anyone has called her Troy yet, which is probably okay. We will keep working on it.
 
Kaycie Young: Youngin
This is a terrible nickname and I'm replacing it with the one that I gave her last year that actually stuck: Case . I actually think Case  is used more than her actual name, at least by me, so I'd call it a win.
 
Maddie Dieker: The D
The explanation I was given for this nickname was, "Just because Dieker… The D…" Rachel followed that explanation up with, "There was nothing that could come close to "Dieks" so….")
 
Cecilia Pederson : TBD
Cecilia is the newest member of our team – she only joined us a week ago – so her nickname is still being debated. Some proposed nicknames include Pede, Cece, C, and Cec. If any readers have suggestions on what we should call Cecilia, please feel free to cast your vote in the comment section below. (Editor's note: yaaaaa, we don't have a comments section, sorry!)
 
Ariel Viera: Little Mermaid
Need I say more?
 
Lauren Marin: Lemon
Lauren's initials are L.E.M, so only two letters away from that wonderful yellow fruit. This nickname has totally stuck, to the point where Lauren signs her text messages, "XOXO, ."
 
Noelle La Prevotte: Pascua
To be honest I still don't understand this one. The explanation is interesting: so her name is Noelle, which the freshmen thought was Christmas in Spanish (it's not). Another important holiday is Easter. So they looked up the Spanish word for Easter, and that's how they arrived at Pascua. They don't actually think Pascua is the correct word for Easter in Spanish either. So really, this nickname makes zero sense.* Feel special Noelle! (Editor's note: She's actually called Nole 99.9 percent of the time)
 
Taylor Babcock: Cocky or Babs
At first, Taylor's nickname was Cocky because Taylor is the sweetest most humble, not-cocky person I've ever met, but most people just call her Babs.
 
Devlyn (DJ) Jeter: Boom-box/8-track/CD/Record Player/Radio/Ipod/Cassette Tape
The nickname that we actually call Devlyn is DJ, so naturally, the rest of these musically-influenced nicknames came as a result. Unfortunately DJ did not welcome these nicknames very warmly, so all that remains of these clever names are merely sticky notes placed above her locker. I agree with you Dev, DJ is the best of all of these names.
 
The following nicknames are the most important ones on the team:
 
Hanna de Haan: Hot pants
This nickname has not even come close to sticking, but is probably the funniest one. Hanna is our German on the team, and she so generously taught us that the translation for shorts is "hot pants." So obviously, her nickname is now Hot Pants.
 
Hannah Armendariz: Riz
It was either Riz or Armie. Personally, I liked Armie and tried so hard to make it happen, but you can't fight what's meant to be, and Riz was meant to be.
 
Hannah Griffiths Boston: Griff
This is a practical nickname that I accept. I will also respond to Boss or Han Solo (remember I love Star Wars) – it's really up to you. But so far Griff is the fan fave. (Editor's note: some call her HGB)
 
Now, the reason I say that these are the most important nicknames on the team is not because I am a narcissist, it's purely because before nicknames I was hopelessly confused – and I don't think I was the only one. When we have a Hanna in goal, a Hannah in midfield, and a Hanna at forward, it can be a little disorienting when directions are being yelled to Hanna(h). We are still in the transition phase where everyone is adjusting to our new names, but everyone has been pretty good at it, especially Lisa. Thank you, Lisa.
 

 
Above is a picture of the three Hanna(h)s. Without the nicknames it is almost impossible to tell who is who.
 
Also, I feel like it is important to mention that, despite how shocking it might sound, we don't actually call Hanna, Hot Pants. Since she is from Germany we pronounce her name more like Haahn-nuh, so once the names Griff and Riz were established, everything got a lot easier.
 
So, now that you've gotten a long-winded explanation of the team's nicknames, feel free to use them at any of our games or even if you see us around. About a third of us will understand you.
 
This week we travel to Notre Dame and Marquette and are excited to get our first road trip under our belts and come away with two strong performances.
 
Next week look forward to a Vlog!
 
Deuces,
HGB
 
*Pascua does, in fact, translate to Easter in English. So, well done freshmen, well done.