Helen Fox knew something wasn’t quite right.

Her Nebraska women’s soccer team was coming off a 16-6-3 season, a Big 12 postseason title and a Sweet 16 appearance. For two years, she knew little but success.

But before her sophomore year, she left the Huskers to transfer to a Syracuse team coming off one of its more disappointing seasons to date when she could have stayed with a national-title contender.

Fox had no problem on the field with a Nebraska squad that went 33-11-4 during her two year stint. Rather, Fox, a member of the Academic All-Big 12 team in 2002, offered a simple answer for her move: academics.

‘I just wanted to have the opportunity to come to a school like Syracuse that actually had a program that I’m really interested in,’ Fox said.

Fox placed her career ahead of soccer and transferred to SU to pursue marketing in the music industry, a program that Nebraksa didn’t offer.

So far, no one’s second-guessing Fox’s decision. The Orangewomen have raced to a 3-0 record.

The 5-foot-6 forward/midfielder has seen action as a sub in all three games and recorded her first career goal for Syracuse in the final minutes of the Orangewomen’s 3-0 win Sunday.

When Fox, who played in 18 games in her two years at Nebraska, is on the field, it’s her endurance, explosiveness and experience that most defines her playing style.

But while she was able to get into the scorer’s book against Cornell, Fox feels there’s more to her game than what you see on the field.

‘(My) main personal goal is bringing leadership,’ Fox said. ‘We were a real close-knit team (in Nebraska), which is similar here. The coaches there, the whole atmosphere there was very competitive; always at practice, on the field, we always pushed real hard to make each other better, so hopefully I can bring that here.’

Born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, roughly a 40-minute ride from Toronto, Fox spent a lot of her time playing sports.

‘My whole family is really into sports, ‘ Fox said, ‘so it’s always been a huge part of my life.’

One of her older sisters, Margaret, was a three-time track All-American at Rice and was also a member of the 2000 Canadian Olympic team in Sydney.

‘Me and my siblings – we’re all real close,’ Fox added. ‘They’ve obviously played a huge role, especially Margaret.

‘When it comes to school and anything sports related, she’s been a huge help because she’s obviously four years ahead of me and been through everything before. She’s been a great help and still is today.’

Fox also felt that the competitiveness she grew up with has contributed to where she is now, especially when it came to training with Margaret.

‘I think we push each other and keep each other going and focused,’ Fox said. ‘We’ve trained together, different sports and stuff, but we still find time to work out together a lot. And of course, when I’m tired, she’ll definitely give me that extra push that I need – extra bit of focus – and I’ll do the same for her. So it works out well.’

-30-

Published on September 10, 2003 at 12:00 pm