LAKELAND – For Polk State Soccer to have another legendary season in 2023, Head Coach Dee Shivraman figured it might not hurt to get some insight from a legend.
 
Prior to the start of the season, Polk State players and coaches had the opportunity to interact with soccer legend Tom Sermanni via Zoom. A former professional midfielder, Sermanni went on to manage national teams for Australia, the U.S., and New Zealand.
 
"Tom is world-renowned and respected," Shivraman said. "I really wanted him to talk about the players he worked with and give examples on how they prepare behind the scenes. He did a great job."
 
Over the course of the Zoom meeting, Sermanni gave insight as to what made certain players great and how they prepared. In addition to serving as manager to three national teams, Sermanni was also an assistant for the Canadian National Team and the manager of the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League from 2016 to 2018.
 
"It was a really unique opportunity and I'm grateful for my coach having these connections and really wanting to help us get better," said Kiana Kropp, a freshman midfielder. "It brought to reality how close we all are to being a professional. (Sermanni) talked about what it takes to make it to and stay at the next level."
 
Kropp went on to score the first goal of the season for Polk State in a 3-0 win over Florida National University JV on Aug. 23. Ella Sebree, a sophomore goalkeeper, has yet to allow a goal this season in four matches and recently finished with a career-high 11 saves in a 1-0 win over Webber International University JV on Aug. 28.
 
"Learning about the amount of work and dedication all the great players he coached put into the sport was really motivating," Sebree said. "It's also cool to see the number of connections you build at such a high level of coaching."
 
Sermanni also spoke about how he's watched great players put their egos aside to work toward a common goal of team success. Shivraman noted that was an invaluable lesson for any team sport.
 
"I really wanted our girls to hear that," Shivraman added. "It's typical for teams to have cliques. We want inclusion. We don't care where you're from or what your background is, we have one mission."