Aug. 26, 2010

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First Day of School Photo Gallery

BERKELEY - The student-athletes on the No. 18/15 California women's soccer team may have been back in Berkeley for several weeks and are already three games into the 2010 campaign, but it is now officially fall for classes started Thursday on the Cal campus. CalBears.com caught up with some of the Golden Bears on their way to class to get their thoughts on the new semester.

For the freshmen, this is another of the many of the new experiences that they have already had in Berkeley. From bunking with the upperclassmen during preseason training to their first exhibition match to their first two collegiate games to moving into the dorms this week, they're becoming seasoned Bears.

First up for freshman midfielder/defender Genessee Daughetee was an African-American studies class.

"I'm very nervous, but also excited," Daughetee said of her first day of college. "I don't know what exactly to expect, but I know it will be fun."

Accompanying some of her freshmen teammates to the Golden Bear Café, an open-air convenience store, was sophomore forward/midfielder Lauren Battung. Battung stocked up on lunch before heading off to an upper-division environmental economics class. Heading into her second season at Cal, the Simi Valley, Calif., native had a leg up on the freshmen.

"It's nice to know where you're going," Battung noted of being a sophomore. "I'm always excited for change, so this semester should be great."

Also dining at the GBC were freshmen forwards Grace Leer and Rachel Mercik along with goalkeepers Kathleen Messinger and Emily Kruger. The quartet was headed off to Political Science 5 - introduction to international relations.

"I signed up for this class because I'm thinking about majoring in poli sci," Messinger said of her first class. "I'm looking forward to getting familiar with the department and seeing if it will be a good fit for my major."

While it was the first day of college for the freshmen, it was the last first day of fall semester for the team's four seniors - defender/midfielder Megan Jesolva, defender/forward McKenna McKetty, forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Emily Shibata.

"I feel like an old veteran," Jesolva said. "But I'm excited to start the semester as a senior student-athlete."

Not only was this the first day of school for Morgan, it was her last first day of school. The U.S. senior national team member and Cal co-captain is graduating at the end of the fall semester with a degree in political economy.

"There is definitely some excitement in starting my fourth year at Cal," Morgan said. "Since it's my last semester here, it's exciting and strange at the same time."

Also experiencing her first day of her senior year was McKetty, who lamented about the heat wave that has afflicted Berkeley this week.

"I hope it cools down soon because all my classes are crowded, and the heat doesn't help," McKetty said. "I'm excited for school to start because I'm taking a lot of really cool classes. But, I'm also sad it's coming to an end."

McKetty noted she was most looking forward to a class on global poverty and another that will focus on sustainable development in Latin America.

"I am so excited and can't believe that my senior year is here!" Shibata said. "It just means that the season is starting, and I can't wait to see how we do."

After the Bears navigate the typical challenges of adding classes and finding the right classrooms, they have a big homework assignment due Friday - a win over No. 8/10 Santa Clara. The Bears and Broncos face off at Edwards Stadium on Friday, Aug. 27 with kickoff slated for 4 p.m. Admission is free. To read more about Friday's game, please click here for the weekly release.