Nicole Filipow wrapped up her five-year career with the Carleton Ravens women’s soccer team after the team fell 1-0 to the Laurentian Voyageurs in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Preliminary Round on Oct. 26.
Filipow joined the Ravens in 2011 and played four seasons while earning a bachelor of science degree with high distinction in honours biology, with a concentration in health science and a minor in neuroscience and mental health.
After taking a semester off, Filipow returned to Carleton in January to pursue a master’s of science in biology. In her final season with the Ravens, she scored three goals and added an assist in 15 games.
The Charlatan spoke with Filipow about her career as a Ravens athlete and her academic work.
The Charlatan (TC): You’re going for your master’s degree, which is obviously a heavy workload. How do you balance academics and athletics?
Nicole Filipow (NF): You basically don’t have a lot of time for anything else. The soccer girls basically become your family, and you spend every free minute studying with them. Procrastination just isn’t an option. You just have to be really organized and disciplined with both aspects of your life.
(TC): If you have built this close bond with your teammates, what will you miss most about the team?
(NF): Just having people there to support you, vent to, and celebrate with. It’s already a big change not being in the changeroom and having the team with you. There were some crazy, insane girls on that team but I loved them all. I’ll definitely miss [it], I’m already missing being part of that locker room.
(TC): How do you think your final season went?
(NF): Not as good as it was supposed to, it was a little heartbreaking seeing Queen’s going to nationals when we’d beaten them in the regular season. We didn’t show up at the end, we were undefeated at home, but just couldn’t show up at the end, which was really unfortunate. The season itself was really positive, it was a great group of girls this year, and I think they have great potential. Especially with the change in coaching, this year was always kind of in transition. Given what we were given, I think we had a successful year. We should have gone further, but you take what you get.
(TC): What was the highlight of your career?
(NF): I would say when we made it to the final four in OUA, in my third year. We beat Toronto in OUA East, and made it to the final four where we played Laurier. It went to penalty shots, and lost to get to nationals. That whole year and that whole experience was amazing, and we just couldn’t get that final goal to get us to nationals, but we were really close and that was definitely the highlight.
(TC): What was your best personal moment or performance?
(NF): [It] was probably that game against Laurier. The team clicked, and I personally, but we played very well as a group. Specifically for me, I can’t really think of any moment.
(TC): What are your plans for the future?
(NF): I’m gonna finish up this master’s, and hopefully find a job. I’ll probably be moving on, moving cities. Definitely still playing, not at that level, but in summer and winter leagues, just for the love of the game and to be with the girls again. Now I’m going to start focusing on academics, finish up the year strong and find a good job.
