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Sonnett had played forward her entire soccer career before switching to defense at Virginia. "When you look at Emily, she's a tremendous athlete — quick, fast, strong," Swanson said. "But then on the technical side, she's got all these techni- cal gifts. She can get out of pressure, knock a long ball with either foot, she can head the ball really well. She's a good tackler. She's got good one-on- one ability. "Defensively, she's one of the best pressurers of the ball I've ever seen. She can put pressure on as quick as anybody." Swanson said the big challenge for Sonnett this season will be imparting her knowledge to the younger players on the team; UVa has 12 first-years. "It's just how much they can learn from her in this short amount of time," he said. "She's one of those players that you just don't appreciate all that she does in a game unless you really understand the nuances of defending, the nuances of how important transition is at the next level. "I think Emily's one of the best transition players I've ever seen. She can go from offense to defense and defense to offense better than most players I've ever coached — and that's just her nature." Sonnett's teammates have the utmost respect for her. First-year defender/midfielder Courtney Petersen called Sonnett an "inspiration." "I want to be like her one day," Petersen said. "She's a leader on the field and pushes everyone to the max." Sonnett said Swanson, along with assistant coaches Ron Raab, Kerry Dziczkaniec and Jaime Frias have been huge in her development. "I don't think without that combination of coaches that I would be where I am," she noted. Sonnett said she's grown to love defense, which requires a much different mentality than when she was scoring all her team's goals in high school. "You can't really mess up because you're the last line," she said. "It was different from being up the field where you can take those chances going forward. [On defense] you really have to play safe." Sonnett, a sociology major, plans on continuing her soccer career after college. There's nothing she would like to do more than follow in the footsteps of Brian and Sauerbrunn, who played in the World Cup for the U.S. National Team this past summer. "Growing up, I was never that top player, so to speak," she said. "But I think I've worked hard and have been put into environments and shown people I can play. So I think if I keep getting chances and showing people, the sky's the limit." Swanson concurred. "She can go as far as she wants in the game," he said. "She's that kind of a player. I see a lot of quali- ties that Morgan and Becky had when they played. "She's got a good career ahead of her as long as she continues to develop in the ways that she needs to during her time." But right now, Sonnett is focused on helping Vir- ginia win its first NCAA title. Last season, UVa fell one game short, losing to Florida State. Sonnett's message to the team through the first few months? "We are not settling," she said. ◆ "I think she's not scared to lead when she needs to and I just think she brings a technical level that's unique, a tactical level that's unique and a mentality that's unique. And she's got the physical qualities." HEAD COACH STEVE SWANSON ON SONNETT