Indiana University Athletics
Basten’s Late Transfer Is IU’s Gain
10/1/2015 10:57:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Emily Basten's value can't be measured by a box score.
A string of zeroes stand beside her name in the stats sheet. She doesn't score goals. She doesn't record assists. The senior defender hasn't even taken a shot.
Basten makes her living doing whatever she can to keep the ball from reaching senior goalkeeper Sarah Stone. Teammates affectionately call her variations of "the cleanup girl." When someone makes a mistake, Basten's there to make up for it.
"She cleans any mess up," redshirt junior defender Marissa Borschke said. "Somehow, someway, she's always there. When I mess up or any of the backs make a mistake, we know she'll come out of nowhere to help us out."
Basten's work isn't truly appreciated until the team studies film after the game.
When a midfielder is late in cutting off a through ball, Basten's there with a tackle to slow down the attack. When a cross gets sent into the box, Basten's there with a calm head to clear it.
She's one of the first to lay her body out in front of a shot and the last to start heading up the field the other way. Basten takes pride in her work. She embraces the challenge of being there for her teammates whenever they slip while rarely slipping herself.
"She puts herself in a really good spot and cleans up the messes," assistant coach Sergio Gonzalez said. "She kind of does the dirty work that sometimes you don't realize until after the game is over when you're breaking things down on film. It's like, 'Oh, there she is again.' Time after time she's just there to save us when we need it."
Basten, like Borschke, transferred to Indiana to finish out her playing career. She played three seasons at Central Michigan before joining Indiana in January 2015.
Basten, a Hoffman Estates, Ill. native, left Central Michigan after appearing in 54 games, making 42 starts, and being named a team captain as a junior. Two years before that, she played a key role in helping the Chippewas to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2012.
There was no ill-will in leaving Central Michigan, Basten said, but she wanted a change. She was granted a release shortly after the 2014 season ended and began to contact other schools.
Something about Indiana stood out from the beginning. Basten said she vividly remembered playing against the Hoosiers as a Chippewa at Bill Armstrong Stadium in the 2013 Hoosier Classic.
After playing Ohio State in the Sunday match, Basten said she sat on the bench looking around Jerry Yeagley Field and told herself, "I could have gone here."
Fourteen months later, Basten emailed the Indiana coaches explaining her situation. Gonzalez and head coach Amy Berbary were in need of another defender and were immediately interested. Shortly after securing her commitment, Basten enrolled in time for the 2015 spring semester so she could train with her new teammates.
"The hardest part about leaving where I was from was leaving the team. I loved my teammates," Basten said. "Coming here, I was kind of scared at the beginning because I didn't think I'd get that twice. But from day one, it was honestly better than I imagined."
Basten is essentially a one-and-done player. She only had nine months to adjust to a new school, learn a new system and develop relationships with her new teammates.
Knowing her time was limited, Basten battled through a knee injury in spring practice to earn her new teammates' and coaches' respect. She couldn't afford to waste time because she didn't have time to waste.
"The transition was hard, and I honestly struggled with it," Basten said. "It was a lot different soccer-wise and school-wise, but the team was so wonderful and supportive. They sort of picked me up when I needed it because I knew I was going to struggle at the beginning."
Now, Basten's the one picking her teammates up.
Borschke said she and Basten have developed an indescribable connection in the middle of the defensive backs that has helped Indiana to one of its best defensive seasons in program history.
The coaching staff only wishes they had more time with her.
"We got lucky with Emily, we really did," Gonzalez said. "She came in right away and bought into everything that we're doing. She's a product of hard work and determination, and she's making our program better because of it."
