Watch: Eagles Summer Bourcier looks ahead to preseason finale

Columbus Eagles defender Summer Bourcier didn’t experience a pleasant wake up call this past Saturday morning.

The defender learned that the preseason friendly with Mount Vernon Nazarene University was cancelled, as severe weather concerns plagued central Ohio, with even the Ohio State Buckeyes moving their spring football game up by two hours to avoid inclement weather. Thus, in the name of player safety, the cancellation was put into place and the game was called off.

Growing more anxious by the day, the Eagles are waiting two-plus weeks to learn whether a 9-0 rout over Ohio Wesleyan University on April 7th is a sign of things to come, or if there is additional work to do in training. Columbus now faces Ohio Dominican University in a final dress rehearsal ahead of the Women’s Professional Soccer League opener on May 12th.

This match will be of particular importance to Bourcier, as she is also an assistant coach with ODU. Rather than patrolling the sidelines with the Panthers, she decided to suit up as a member of the opposition and face her collegiate team in head-to-head competition.

The Eagles defender met with our Ralph Schudel this week and discussed the importance of this fixture to her as a player and as a coach.