Freshman Kara Hoffman begins her first season at UTSA in women’s soccer with many accomplishments. The midfielder played for the U19 USA National Team that won the gold medal at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel. Hoffman was named first-team All-Greater Houston in 2009 and was also selected all-state. She is majoring in communications, and took time to speak with goUTSA.com before her first day as a collegiate student to tell us about her experience.
Let’s talk about your summer playing in Israel at the Maccabiah Games?
“It was really fun and enjoyed the trip to Israel to play soccer, mainly because I am Jewish and I love soccer. I had a really good experience.”
What part of Israel were the Games located at?
“Well, it depends on the sport you were competing in. we played in Haifa, but trained in Tel Aviv for a couple weeks before we moved to Haifa were we competed. But each sport was in a different city.”
Tell us about the places you were able to visit and what you did while you were there?
“While we were in Tel Aviv, we just stayed in hotels. We had two-a-days for about a week then we went to one-a-days. On these days we had practice from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. then had the rest of the day to tour the city. We did this for about a week and a half and got to go see all the sites we wanted to see in Israel. Tel Aviv is known more for its nightlife, so it’s a big party city. Haifa is on a mountain, and there are a lot of shops for us to do some shopping or just walk around. The matches were in Haifa, though, so we were playing there most of the time."
What were some of the sites that you saw that put you in awe?
“The Dead Sea was really cool to visit, because we got to float in it. We also went to The Western Wall, where you put a prayer in the wall. This was overwhelming because I’ve heard about it, but it was a different experience actually seeing it and seeing them cry and pray. Another thing we did was visit some underwater caves that where once used as an escape route. We then went to Masata, which is kind of a mountain because you can walk up there are to see monuments. The only way to go up the mountain, we had to ride a cable up to the top and walked down to see the sites.”
Were you able to get to know some of the other players from different countries, and did you learn anything from them?
“Our hotel was full of soccer players when the games started. We had boys and girls from South Africa, Great Britain, Australia, and Germany. We got to know the other teams pretty well, and we were able to hang out with them during the day and night. We learned a bit about each culture. They would ask us what sport we played, we would say ‘soccer’ and they would laugh and thought it was so weird. This one guy even asked if I was joking.”
How did it feel to win the gold medal?
“It was really cool to earn the medal. We won the championship game 5-0. It would have been more fun if the games were closer, but it was still awesome. It really hit us at the award ceremony when we stood on the pillars and get our medals in front of fireworks.”
Do you think this would compare to playing at the Olympics?
“It seems pretty close. The opening and closing ceremonies were unbelievable. It was in a huge stadium that could seat over 60,000 people. Jason Lezak (US Olympic Swimmer) lit the torch and it was awesome for him to be there. There were all these singers and performers. Everyone was holding their country’s flag and jerseys. It was awesome.”
Did you trade your jersey?
“Yeah, I traded a lot of my stuff. I got stuff from Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa and Great Britain.”
In your transition to D-1 soccer, how is your experience here at UTSA?
“I was expecting a little difference, but playing in Israel helped me to adjust myself and I played against other college athletes. I’m really enjoying myself. Traveling with the team is fun.”
Let’s talk about the season opener. It was your first start, you went against a larger school, how was your first match?
“It was pretty obvious that we all had the jitters. Once the match started, we started to play and settle down. We played better as the game went on, and I wish we could have replay that game because I think we would have played different. I almost went into panic mode but instead I tried to clam myself down throughout the match. We trained hard, but those girls play so much differently than we do. It was a completely different match and I had to get used to it quick.”
With one game under your belt, how was it traveling back to where you’re from, Houston, to compete?
“I was nervous because I really didn’t know what to expect. Once we started playing the match and saw we can keep up with them, I had a feeling we could win this match. It was fun to go up against some of my former teammates that I played with in ODP or club team. One of them even went to Israel with me. I was more comfortable then, because I knew how they played. I came into the match cautious instead of taking some risks, but towards the end of the match I started playing better and doing more of the things that I am good at.”
How was it to see your family back in Houston?
“Well, my dad was at the Tech game, but it was fun for my mom because she doesn’t get to come to a lot of my matches, because I have a younger brother who has his own stuff, too. I enjoyed having both of them come and I think they will be able to make it to every match in San Antonio. Some of my friends from high school and my club coach came and it was fun for them to get to see me start and play well.”
