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Bernie Bettencourt has already begun the 2012 soccer season on the top of her game. Bettencourt scored a header in a 3-0 victory over Saint Martin's on August 30. As a midfielder, Bettencourt plays a crucial role in each and every game.

Bettencourt is tied for the seventh in the school record book with 11 career assists. She has also won numerous awards in academics, including the DII ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2009 and 2010. Bettencourt has played with the Warriors since her freshman year with intensity and unfaltering passion for the game.

Q: What are three words that would describe you?
A: Driven, Passionate, and Committed.

Q: What age did you begin playing soccer?
A: About six or seven. I was really little.

Q: What got you interested in playing soccer?
A: When I was three years old, I would go to my dad's soccer games and run on the field and try to get the ball. I have a soccer family that I grew up around.

Q: Did your older sister, Christina, who played soccer at San Jose State from 1996-99, influence your interest in soccer?
A: She did, a lot. I always wanted to be like her in everything that she did. She was the first in my family to go to college and play a sport, and I knew I wanted to be that person, too. She inspired me to do that, definitely.

Q: What is your favorite component of the game?
A: The team aspect. There's a lot of sports that you compete on your own and score as a team, but in soccer, everything you do is as a team. You can't win without your defender behind you and your forward in front of you. I like that team aspect and how close we get.

Q: What do you do to balance homework, exams, practice, conditioning, and games?
A: It's a lot of planning. My planner is jam packed with craziness. I really have to look ahead at the next two weeks, space things out, and stay on top of it, because it will catch up to you.

Q: What do you want to do with your major (Kinesiology)?
A: I want to get into occupational therapy because I feel that's something I'm motivated to do, and that it's a job I'll really like. I haven't decided whether I want to work with children or older people yet.

Q: Do you have any mentors or people who have made a lasting impact on you?
A: It would probably be my sister because she was the first in my family to go to college. All the things I thought I'd never be able to do, she did, and as soon as I saw her do them, I knew I had to do that, too. I knew it was possible.

Q: What do you do to get pumped up before a game?
A: In the locker room, the team always has a warm-up CD playing and everyone starts dancing, even when we're sitting there putting on our equipment. Everyone has their own dances that they do, so that gets me pumped up.

Q: Have you had any injuries that have prevented you from playing?
A: This last fall, we made it to the conference tournament and the championship game, and the weekend before that, I sprained my ankle pretty bad. I had played the whole season and I missed the championship weekend, and it was really hard. I really wanted to be on the field, but my team did amazing, and they won! It was the best feeling ever, so even though I missed being on the field, I definitely felt a part of it.

Q: What is your proudest moment of your career?
A: It would have to be the championship game. When we won, the team started running to the goalie, I was about to start running but I couldn't! Seeing the excitement was the best, and I was just as happy, even though I couldn't be on the field with them. I cried, I was so happy.

Q: As a senior in your final season, how do you hope to close off your playing career at California State University, Stanislaus?
A: Most people say they want to win a NCAA championship, and I would love that, but honestly, I just want to have a united team. I want us to go through the whole season and stay connected. As much as I want to win everything, I just want to know that I left everything on the field, and I want to remember it with no regrets.

Q: Do you plan to continue playing soccer after college?
A: I would love to, but I'm not sure. With trying to find a job, it would be time consuming. I would possibly join an indoor team or an adult team. I don't want to be away from it my whole life, so I hope so.