Senior Jamie Ikeda is a defender for the Chico State women’s soccer team. Ikeda is in her fourth year on the team and has been named a three-time California Collegiate Athletic Association All-Academic selection. Ikeda and her fellow defenders did not allow a goal in the first three games of the season. Jamie Ikeda is this week’s Wildcat of the Week.

What excites you the most about this season?

What excites me the most this season is that we have a lot of returning players and a lot of young players and I think our team chemistry is just super strong this year.

What are your individual goals for the year? Both on the field and off?

Well with the women’s soccer program we really focus on academics. So, obviously striving in the classroom is one of my big goals. Then on the field I would say just winning as many games as we can and building that team chemistry.

As a senior what are you doing to be a leader on the team?

As a senior I am one of three captains and the three of us each balance each other super well, so we work together and we each bring different qualities to the team. Our team is super young, so being a senior we are really trying to bring up the younger players and get them up to speed with the competition and the game.

When did you start playing soccer?

I started playing soccer in second grade with one of my best friends, it was a co-ed team. I never really got passed the ball, so it was kind of a hard start, but then my parents really pushed me to just explore other sports and then I found the love for soccer.

Why did you choose Chico State?

I chose Chico because of soccer. My mom and my sister are also Chico State alumni. I didn’t really want to come to Chico at first because it was kind of in the middle of nowhere and I didn’t really think there was anything to do here. I want to be different from my sister but somehow I ended up here and I love it.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My biggest influence is probably one of my friends who passed away two years ago. We had a really good bond over soccer and so every game and every practice I always give it my all for him. He taught me to be persistent and never to give up.

What do you plan to do after college?

After college I plan to hopefully move back to the bay area. I’m a graphic design major so hopefully the Silicon Valley offers me something there and maybe continue playing soccer on the side just to keep me active.

Do you have any rituals or routines you do before a game?

Like I was saying, my biggest influencer is my friend who passed away. So I always tape my wrist for him and write his initials. Other than that all the team stuff we do in the team room, so listen to music and get pumped up.

Andrew Baumgartner can be reached at [email protected] or @abaum94 on Twitter.