Indiana University Athletics
Borschke Emerges as Indiana’s Rock
8/26/2015 5:41:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Marissa Borschke rarely panics on the soccer field, even in stressful situations.
The redshirt junior defender has a knack for keeping her emotions in check. When her team is under attack, her voice remains stable. She'll shout out orders while at the same time keeping the ball in front of her as she works to force her opponent away from the goal.
"She just stays so composed," sophomore defender Annelie Leitner said. "She's definitely our rock. Her experience and the way she communicates on the field keeps us all in order on the back line."
A Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Borschke has established herself as an Indiana captain and one of the conference's most reliable defenders despite constant change throughout her college career.
Borschke has played with three different goalies behind her. Three of the four starting defenders in 2014 were lost, and that came after needing to replace two starters the year before.
"I'm not sure I can state Marissa's value enough for us," assistant coach Sergio Gonzalez said. "She's just a very composed player. Marissa reads the game really well, and she's very good at being in the right position. When the opportunities do come, she's very good at seizing them."
Gonzalez would know as well as anyone. He was an intricate part in bringing Borschke to Indiana in the first place.
Borschke elected to play soccer for Gonzalez at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) out of high school, but she said she never really fit in.
NJIT felt less like a college town and more like a big city, she said. The competition level wasn't pushing her enough and, off the field, she was trying to pursue a business degree at a school more known for engineering.
Borschke opted to transfer after her freshman season. At the same time, Gonzalez had left for Indiana to join head coach Amy Berbary's new staff.
When word reached Gonzalez that Borschke was looking for a new school, he began the recruitment process all over again.
"When the release came through, I told Amy we could use another back and Marissa is the type of person we're looking for," Gonzalez said.
Borschke took a visit to Indiana and immediately recognized all the pieces were in place.
She had already been comfortable around Gonzalez and wanted to play in a bigger, tougher conference like the Big Ten. Academically, she could study at the Kelley School of Business and graduate with a degree from one of the nation's most prestigious business schools.
"Indiana was just the perfect fit across the board," Borschke said. "I was really lucky to have had it all fall into place the way it did, it's actually unbelievable. Hands down I fell in love with it here when I came to tour the school. It was an easy choice."
What wasn't as easy was her transition on the playing field.
Borschke said she struggled at first to adjust to the competition level even at practice.
Berbary and Gonzalez laugh about it now, but there was a point where Berbary began to doubt whether or not Borschke was the real deal.
"She was a little too timid when she got here," Berbary said. "I would shoot laser beams at Sergio every day after training going, 'Are you sure this kid's going to make it?' But he would always stand by her. Now, I can honestly say I don't know what we would have done without her. "
Gonzalez had good reason to trust that Borschke would be able to adjust. By the fifth game of the 2013 season, she had won a starting job on Indiana's back line.
"I just remember playing the first game and being out there for seven minutes and thinking, 'Oh my god. That's so awesome,'" Borschke said. "It just kept growing, and I gained confidence as I went that if I put in the hard work, then it would pay off."
Now in her third year at IU, Borschke doesn't need to worry about minutes anymore. She's more focused on her team's success.
Borschke has quietly climbed the leadership ranks for the Hoosiers. On a team in need of veteran guidance, she's become a resource of information as a player who worked her way from the ground up and knows what it takes to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
"Her leadership across the board is incredibly valuable," Gonzalez said. "She understands the ebbs and flows and I think that's really important to have because you need somebody at center back who's been there, done that and can provide stability."
Borschke's work hasn't gone unnoticed. Just last weekend she was named to the Hoosier Classic's All-Tournament Team, but she'd have gladly traded it for team wins.
The personal honors are nice, she said, but Borschke didn't come to Indiana to stand out as an individual. She's got loftier goals in mind.
"Honestly, I just want to see the team succeed," Borschke said. "I came here to play against the best, and we've done that. I just really want to get back to the NCAA Tournament because I want everyone on my team to experience it. There's nothing like it."
The redshirt junior defender has a knack for keeping her emotions in check. When her team is under attack, her voice remains stable. She'll shout out orders while at the same time keeping the ball in front of her as she works to force her opponent away from the goal.
"She just stays so composed," sophomore defender Annelie Leitner said. "She's definitely our rock. Her experience and the way she communicates on the field keeps us all in order on the back line."
A Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Borschke has established herself as an Indiana captain and one of the conference's most reliable defenders despite constant change throughout her college career.
Borschke has played with three different goalies behind her. Three of the four starting defenders in 2014 were lost, and that came after needing to replace two starters the year before.
"I'm not sure I can state Marissa's value enough for us," assistant coach Sergio Gonzalez said. "She's just a very composed player. Marissa reads the game really well, and she's very good at being in the right position. When the opportunities do come, she's very good at seizing them."
Gonzalez would know as well as anyone. He was an intricate part in bringing Borschke to Indiana in the first place.
Borschke elected to play soccer for Gonzalez at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) out of high school, but she said she never really fit in.
NJIT felt less like a college town and more like a big city, she said. The competition level wasn't pushing her enough and, off the field, she was trying to pursue a business degree at a school more known for engineering.
Borschke opted to transfer after her freshman season. At the same time, Gonzalez had left for Indiana to join head coach Amy Berbary's new staff.
When word reached Gonzalez that Borschke was looking for a new school, he began the recruitment process all over again.
"When the release came through, I told Amy we could use another back and Marissa is the type of person we're looking for," Gonzalez said.
Borschke took a visit to Indiana and immediately recognized all the pieces were in place.
She had already been comfortable around Gonzalez and wanted to play in a bigger, tougher conference like the Big Ten. Academically, she could study at the Kelley School of Business and graduate with a degree from one of the nation's most prestigious business schools.
"Indiana was just the perfect fit across the board," Borschke said. "I was really lucky to have had it all fall into place the way it did, it's actually unbelievable. Hands down I fell in love with it here when I came to tour the school. It was an easy choice."
What wasn't as easy was her transition on the playing field.
Borschke said she struggled at first to adjust to the competition level even at practice.
Berbary and Gonzalez laugh about it now, but there was a point where Berbary began to doubt whether or not Borschke was the real deal.
"She was a little too timid when she got here," Berbary said. "I would shoot laser beams at Sergio every day after training going, 'Are you sure this kid's going to make it?' But he would always stand by her. Now, I can honestly say I don't know what we would have done without her. "
Gonzalez had good reason to trust that Borschke would be able to adjust. By the fifth game of the 2013 season, she had won a starting job on Indiana's back line.
"I just remember playing the first game and being out there for seven minutes and thinking, 'Oh my god. That's so awesome,'" Borschke said. "It just kept growing, and I gained confidence as I went that if I put in the hard work, then it would pay off."
Now in her third year at IU, Borschke doesn't need to worry about minutes anymore. She's more focused on her team's success.
Borschke has quietly climbed the leadership ranks for the Hoosiers. On a team in need of veteran guidance, she's become a resource of information as a player who worked her way from the ground up and knows what it takes to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
"Her leadership across the board is incredibly valuable," Gonzalez said. "She understands the ebbs and flows and I think that's really important to have because you need somebody at center back who's been there, done that and can provide stability."
Borschke's work hasn't gone unnoticed. Just last weekend she was named to the Hoosier Classic's All-Tournament Team, but she'd have gladly traded it for team wins.
The personal honors are nice, she said, but Borschke didn't come to Indiana to stand out as an individual. She's got loftier goals in mind.
"Honestly, I just want to see the team succeed," Borschke said. "I came here to play against the best, and we've done that. I just really want to get back to the NCAA Tournament because I want everyone on my team to experience it. There's nothing like it."
Players Mentioned
Defender
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