SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
Soccer a Pastime for Dental Student Arruda
CLEVELAND, OH (September 21, 2009) - Growing up in Brazil, soccer has been a big part of the life of junior forward Ana Arruda (Ann Arbor, MI) since she was too young to remember.
“In Brazil, every game is on TV,” Arruda explained. “It’s ingrained in the culture.”
When her family moved to Ann Arbor at age 11, it was soccer which helped Arruda find her place in the new country.
“My transition year was hard, I didn’t like moving or leaving my friends there,” Arruda explained. “I had trouble with the language, so the beginning was horrible but the only thing I could do and relate to people with was soccer.”
While the decision to move to Michigan was out of Arruda’s control, the decision to come to Case Western Reserve was all her doing. She was attracted to Case for its dental program.
Arruda’s father is an orthodontist and professor at the University of Michigan and she has hoped to follow in his footsteps for some time.
“When we lived in Brazil, his practice was right next to our house with a door connecting to our house, so we were around all the time,” Arruda explained. “What I like the most is the orthodontist profession. There’s an artistic part to it and an engineering part to it.”
Already in dental school, this is likely Arruda’s last season playing collegiate soccer, even though she will still have another year of eligibility. It is already challenging for her to mix soccer and schoolwork.
“Soccer keeps me on a tight schedule, which is nice because it keeps me structured. I’ve got to go to practice, go home, study, go to sleep,” said Arruda. “There’s not much time not to be productive, you have to focus the whole time, you can’t play around.”
Arruda has clearly found the right mix between the two as she received All-University Athletic Association honors for both her academics and play last season.
Somehow, Arruda has found the time to get involved on campus. She is member of the Phi Mu Sorority, involved with Case for Community Day (pictured to right) and works on-campus jobs, including doing research at the dental school. Arrruda’s ongoing research is concentrated on the correlation between diabetes and periodontal disease and should be completed by the end of the semester.
Arruda also volunteered for a research project in Brazil with rural and underprivileged children. The three-year study correlated the placement of sealants in their teeth with cavities because cavities are a troublesome issue in these areas.
“That was nice because I got to see it hand in hand and chart everybody,” said Arruda.
On the field, Arruda has been a star player for the Spartans. In 2008, Arruda led Case Western Reserve with a team-high nine goals. It was the most goals scored by a Spartan since 2002.
“I’m a forward, it’s my job,” Arruda said humbly. “You just fight for the goals and they come.”
Arruda feels are several actually advantages to playing soccer in the States as opposed to Brazil.
“In Brazil it’s very, very different. First of all, it’s not a girl’s sport, so I played with the guys growing up,” said Arruda. “Coming here it was nice because it is a girl’s sport and everyone played. Here it became like the thing that I do, everything surrounded it.”
If this is her final season playing, Arruda will still have watching soccer to fall back on. She is a huge fan of the Brazil National Team, as are most in her home country. When watching national games with her brother, the two “literally scream at the TV the whole time.”
“In Brazil during the ’98 World Cup, the games were during school hours,” Arruda explained. “So we didn’t go to school until after the game was over or if you did go to school you would just watch the games with your professors anyways. Church times would change before games. It’s much different.”
Arruda is not ready to end her soccer career without having a big season in 2009. The team is off to a strong 4-1-1 start and Arruda is tied for the team-lead with three goals.
“We’ve got to get to the (NCAA) tournament, that’s the goal, said Arruda. “Our team’s really strong this year, we have a lot of talents which come together well. We definitely have a good shot.”
KICKS FOR A CAUSE...The first annual "Kicks for a Cause" will take place September 26 as the Spartans take on Ohio Northern Unversity at 2:00 p.m. at Case Field. This year, the cause is the Alzheimer’s Association – Cleveland Area Chapter. Each team member will take pledges per shot taken in the game and collect money following. Flat donations will also be taken prior to and at the game. Please contact Head Coach Tiffany Crooks for more information.
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY … Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.