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<< Previous   of   Next >> University of Washington photo  (click to enlarge) Alex Kirk has had a successful career as a Husky soccer player.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 13, 2009 COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: ALEX KIRK By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer SENIOR | UW | SOCCER Hometown: Edmonds (Edmonds-Woodway High) What she did: On Senior Day, Kirk capped off her UW career with a pair of goals in the Huskies’ 2-2 tie with 19th-ranked USC last Sunday What’s next: Kirk and the Huskies will be in Portland to face Mississippi in a first-round game of the NCAA tournament on Friday THE TWO-MINUTE You spent part of Monday night at Bank of America Arena watching the NCAA selection show, which unveiled that the Huskies made the 64-team NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. What was that like? It was definitely intense. I’ve been playing for so long, and the thought of it being over was very intense. But we felt good (about the possibility of making the tournament). We tried to stay positive. And then we saw a team that was below us (in the Pac-10 standings), and we thought: OK, we’re in. When we saw ASU, we knew. And then the next bracket came up, and we saw our name, and everybody erupted. So you get to play your first game in Portland. How excited are you about that? It’s amazing. We get to play in front of most of our families. For some reason, this team is pretty much half and half from California and Washington, so all of our families are close by. We’ll probably have almost as many fans as Portland does. We had a large fan base traveling with us all year, so hopefully we can do that again. And, we don’t have to get on a plane. Do you have any family planning to attend the game? Probably my parents and my brother. I had the whole extended family there for Senior Day over the weekend, so that was really cool having them there. But this week, it will probably just be my parents and my brother. How are they able to get the time off? My brother is attending a medical institute called Pima. My parents will both have to get time off. My dad will probably have an easier time getting away than my mom. She’s a hairdresser. I don’t know if she’ll have to cancel appointments, or how she’ll do it. But she’ll be there. On Saturday, while playing your final home game as part of Senior Day, you scored two goals in a 2-2 tie with USC. What was that like? It was pretty unexpected. I played forward, which I’ve only done a few times this season. Mostly I’ve been an outside back. (Coach) Lesle (Gallimore) put me up there, and it was pretty surprising. But she’s the coach, so she knows what she’s doing. And then I got a goal, and it was really fun. We got a tie, but we should have had the win. Who all was there to watch you play? My whole family. Four aunts and uncles. My parents. They’re separated, so their boyfriend and girlfriend were there. My brother. My best friend, Kim Grant, flew up from California, where she plays soccer for Chapman College. And another one of my good friends was there too. They were all sitting together right in the middle. It was pretty cool. You and Kim Grant played together as freshmen at Seattle Pacific University. Why did you decide to transfer after your freshman year in 2006? I think I just knew it was the best decision for me. The year after I left, they won the national championship, so people always ask: ‘Do you regret leaving?’ But I had a really successful freshman year. They were a good team. They could have been Division I. But our opponents weren’t. We only had two or three games that were competitive. I had this epiphany: Why don’t I just try? So I decided to go for it. So we’ll be the latest to ask: Do you have any regrets about transferring? No. Not one. At Senior Day, (assistant coach) Amy (Griffin) hugged me and said: ‘Thanks for coming to U-Dub.’ I was like: ‘No, thank you.’ And you still have a chance to win a national championship. Maybe the Huskies can do it this year. That’s what we’re hoping to do. There’s a photograph of you on the UW athletics website that shows you sitting in the backseat of a police car. Is there something you should tell us? (Laughs) I was up on Capitol Hill with some friends and my brother, and we were taking a bunch of pictures. I was standing in front of a cop car, and my brother and I started making faces and posing for pictures. The cop said: ‘Do you just want to get in back?’ So I got in back, and we took a picture. I didn’t think the photo would get on the web. People ask me about it all the time. What do they ask? ‘What did you do?’ Well, we have to ask. Have you ever been in trouble with the law? Definitely not. Well, don’t go and get yourself arrested if the Huskies win the national championship this year. I’ll make sure not to start a riot or anything. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. 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