University of Minnesota Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: Simone Kolander
8/18/2023 10:07:00 AM | Soccer
Simone Kolander stepped onto the University of Minnesota campus as a freshman in the fall of 2013, what followed were a historic four years wearing Maroon and Gold. The two-time Big Ten Forward of the Year sits in Minnesota's top ten in shots, game-winning goals, goals, and points. She helped lead Minnesota to a sweep of the Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament in 2016 as a senior. Gopher Sports decided to sit down with the First Team Senior CLASS All-American, look back on her career, and some of her favorite moments playing the game she loves.
Gopher Sports: When you decided to attend the University of Minnesota, did you ever think you would have such a decorated career?
Simone Kolander: "No, definitely not. My biggest reason for choosing Minnesota was staying close to home. At first, I didn't think it would be something that was super important to me, but as I got closer to the decision, with every other school I visited across the country I always compared it to Minnesota. Both of my parents were Gophers and my brothers were younger than me and it was so cool to play for a team that I grew up watching. The team had so much success over four years, we kept coming back better and better. I knew that we were going to achieve something great and we did with that Big Ten Championship. But no, it was not expected."
GS: As a kid from just down the road in Lakeville, how important was it to play in and for your home state?
SK: "It was super special. Growing up in Minnesota there was only one Division I program (at the time) when I was young. My mom took me to Gopher games in middle school, so I always knew that was something I wanted to do. While I was playing club soccer, I got to travel the country and see other places, but nothing felt as special or as right as Minnesota."
GS: You were a part of the 2016 team that won both the Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament, what made that team so special?
SK: "The experience of our team. We had really great teams leading up to that, but it's a mixture of the right chemistry on the field, the group of players, and the coaching staff. It goes all the way to who is around the team, you're all believing in each other and we did that year. That Big Ten championship was a long time coming. There were players who had played five, six years before and it was being built from there. It was an accumulation of so many years of that strong team culture, grit, sticking together in that growth we saw. Two years later they did it again, it's that culture that creates it. The players are special, but the team went and did it again two years later with a different roster. That says everything about the program."
GS: What was your favorite moment as a Golden Gopher? Why?
SK: "I don't know if I can put my finger on one moment. When we won the Big Ten Tournament at home, that was probably the most memorable. I still remember standing there watching Emily Heslin hit it in the back of the net to put us up. There was still some time left in the game, but her scoring that goal and being frozen on the field realizing what she had done and what that meant. Knowing we were going to win the tournament at home, that was an incredible feeling. Even more than that, all of the road trips and traveling we did over the years. Staying in hotels with the team, the layovers at the airport, and bus rides are all incredible memories. That's what makes it so special on the field, having great chemistry off the field."
GS: Since graduating, what have you been up to?
SK: "I graduated in the winter of 2016 and started playing professionally right away. I played in the NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) and trained with Chicago and Kansas City. Then I went and played overseas in the Czech Republic in Champions League. I stayed overseas and played again in Iceland. After that, I decided to pursue more of a professional career and started with an internship at the University of Minnesota in the athletic department. I worked with the 'M' Club and worked full time there. Since then, I got a job working at a tech startup for a few years and I just had my daughter, Stella, who is over a year old. Now, I stay home with her and my fiance plays professional basketball. He's traveling as well but busy being a mom and hopefully raising another soccer player!"
GS: How did the Minnesota women's soccer program prepare you for playing professionally?
SK: "It definitely prepared me for the toughness that I needed. The hardest thing about playing overseas, it's not the soccer, the training, the workouts. It's the culture shock and being so far away from home, that was something I wasn't used to. Knowing how hard I had to work in college, that helped me have resilience. I still had that small community of teammates as well, so you're able to find that same community that you had in college."
GS: Do you still watch and keep up with Golden Gopher soccer and are you excited to watch them compete this year?
SK: "I am! Yes, I still follow and watch as much as I can. I'm excited for the season to start and I'll be here for quite a bit of the fall so I'm excited for that. Erin (Chastain) is an awesome coach and it's super exciting to see Tarah (Nupson) who I played with for four years on the coaching staff too. They've got a strong team and I'm excited to watch them."
GS: Do you have a message to the current Golden Gophers that are following in your footsteps?
SK: "This will probably sound cliche but enjoy every moment and don't take anything for granted because it truly flies by. It's so easy to get absorbed by it, but as you're starting a new season it's such a great opportunity to focus on being (and playing) in the present. Enjoy every team meal, every meeting, every practice, every travel day, every game, every bus ride, every flight. That was something we were so good at during my senior year, we were all in the moment and so focused on what we had going on that day. It's really easy to look ahead at games down the road and big rivalries and tournaments, but everyday is a building block to get to that goal."
GS: What impact did the University of Minnesota soccer program have on you?
SK: "A huge impact. College is such an important time in everyone's life, it's such a transformational time and you're at such a moldable phase that I think getting to be a part of a team and community like that is so special. Specifically having a competitive team that was so focused and goal oriented was such a positive experience. Every year since I've been gone it's helped me in the workplace, being a better friend, a better teammate, mom. The people I got to meet and lessons I learned, skills I learned just have helped me in every area of my life."
Gopher Sports: When you decided to attend the University of Minnesota, did you ever think you would have such a decorated career?
Simone Kolander: "No, definitely not. My biggest reason for choosing Minnesota was staying close to home. At first, I didn't think it would be something that was super important to me, but as I got closer to the decision, with every other school I visited across the country I always compared it to Minnesota. Both of my parents were Gophers and my brothers were younger than me and it was so cool to play for a team that I grew up watching. The team had so much success over four years, we kept coming back better and better. I knew that we were going to achieve something great and we did with that Big Ten Championship. But no, it was not expected."
GS: As a kid from just down the road in Lakeville, how important was it to play in and for your home state?
SK: "It was super special. Growing up in Minnesota there was only one Division I program (at the time) when I was young. My mom took me to Gopher games in middle school, so I always knew that was something I wanted to do. While I was playing club soccer, I got to travel the country and see other places, but nothing felt as special or as right as Minnesota."
GS: You were a part of the 2016 team that won both the Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament, what made that team so special?
SK: "The experience of our team. We had really great teams leading up to that, but it's a mixture of the right chemistry on the field, the group of players, and the coaching staff. It goes all the way to who is around the team, you're all believing in each other and we did that year. That Big Ten championship was a long time coming. There were players who had played five, six years before and it was being built from there. It was an accumulation of so many years of that strong team culture, grit, sticking together in that growth we saw. Two years later they did it again, it's that culture that creates it. The players are special, but the team went and did it again two years later with a different roster. That says everything about the program."
GS: What was your favorite moment as a Golden Gopher? Why?
SK: "I don't know if I can put my finger on one moment. When we won the Big Ten Tournament at home, that was probably the most memorable. I still remember standing there watching Emily Heslin hit it in the back of the net to put us up. There was still some time left in the game, but her scoring that goal and being frozen on the field realizing what she had done and what that meant. Knowing we were going to win the tournament at home, that was an incredible feeling. Even more than that, all of the road trips and traveling we did over the years. Staying in hotels with the team, the layovers at the airport, and bus rides are all incredible memories. That's what makes it so special on the field, having great chemistry off the field."
GS: Since graduating, what have you been up to?
SK: "I graduated in the winter of 2016 and started playing professionally right away. I played in the NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) and trained with Chicago and Kansas City. Then I went and played overseas in the Czech Republic in Champions League. I stayed overseas and played again in Iceland. After that, I decided to pursue more of a professional career and started with an internship at the University of Minnesota in the athletic department. I worked with the 'M' Club and worked full time there. Since then, I got a job working at a tech startup for a few years and I just had my daughter, Stella, who is over a year old. Now, I stay home with her and my fiance plays professional basketball. He's traveling as well but busy being a mom and hopefully raising another soccer player!"
GS: How did the Minnesota women's soccer program prepare you for playing professionally?
SK: "It definitely prepared me for the toughness that I needed. The hardest thing about playing overseas, it's not the soccer, the training, the workouts. It's the culture shock and being so far away from home, that was something I wasn't used to. Knowing how hard I had to work in college, that helped me have resilience. I still had that small community of teammates as well, so you're able to find that same community that you had in college."
GS: Do you still watch and keep up with Golden Gopher soccer and are you excited to watch them compete this year?
SK: "I am! Yes, I still follow and watch as much as I can. I'm excited for the season to start and I'll be here for quite a bit of the fall so I'm excited for that. Erin (Chastain) is an awesome coach and it's super exciting to see Tarah (Nupson) who I played with for four years on the coaching staff too. They've got a strong team and I'm excited to watch them."
GS: Do you have a message to the current Golden Gophers that are following in your footsteps?
SK: "This will probably sound cliche but enjoy every moment and don't take anything for granted because it truly flies by. It's so easy to get absorbed by it, but as you're starting a new season it's such a great opportunity to focus on being (and playing) in the present. Enjoy every team meal, every meeting, every practice, every travel day, every game, every bus ride, every flight. That was something we were so good at during my senior year, we were all in the moment and so focused on what we had going on that day. It's really easy to look ahead at games down the road and big rivalries and tournaments, but everyday is a building block to get to that goal."
GS: What impact did the University of Minnesota soccer program have on you?
SK: "A huge impact. College is such an important time in everyone's life, it's such a transformational time and you're at such a moldable phase that I think getting to be a part of a team and community like that is so special. Specifically having a competitive team that was so focused and goal oriented was such a positive experience. Every year since I've been gone it's helped me in the workplace, being a better friend, a better teammate, mom. The people I got to meet and lessons I learned, skills I learned just have helped me in every area of my life."
Highlights: Gophers 2, Rutgers 1
Thursday, September 18
Highlights: Gophers 2, Nebraska 2
Thursday, September 11
Highlights: Gophers 2, Brown 0
Monday, September 01
Highlights: Gophers 4, Marquette 3
Thursday, August 28