[media-credit name=’GREGORY DIXON/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Making adjustments isn't always easy. A life-altering event can be difficult, whether it's starting a new job, dealing with new roommates or going to a new school.

For Wisconsin junior midfielder Marissa Sarkesian, she has to deal with the latter, along with living in a new city, adjusting to new teammates and just about everything else you could imagine dealing with as a transfer student. Sarkesian's taking it all in stride, though. Luckily for her, she's got soccer to help ease the transition.

Sarkesian, a native of Canton, Mich., transferred into Wisconsin after spending her first two years at Texas A&M. She said she decided to transfer because she was looking for the opportunity to get more playing time, as she played in just 14 matches last season for the Aggies, recording one goal and one assist.

"I came on a visit and just loved the atmosphere, the campus, the girls, the team and the coaches," Sarkesian said. "Everything just clicked."

She's also hoping her style of play will click with her teammates. Sarkesian feels as though she's fitting in on the field.

"I, as well as the team, like to play on the ground a lot," she said. "That's my strength; finding people's feet and combining. And that's definitely what we try to do on this team is to make combinations and get into the attack."

While her style of play may suit the team well, she says it's still difficult to get a feel for her new teammates on the field.

"It's always different when you come in and play with new people," she said. "But after as many games as we've played thus far, I'm starting to know where people are around me and what their skills are."

Starting all nine games for the Badgers this season, Sarkesian has scored on both of her shots, proving she can be a contributing factor to the team.

Wisconsin head coach Dean Duerst said he and other coaches have realized she is a high-quality player.

"I've talked to some other coaches outside of the program, who know the program well, and they see that she just has a quality about her play and about her decision-making," he said. "She's a smooth player, gets into position early and makes nice runs off the ball."

Duerst said Sarkesian, while new to the team, has brought an added level of leadership to Wisconsin.

"She's been involved in a lot of hard-fought games and has that kind of experience," he said.

One of the best compliments Duerst paid to Sarkesian concerned her consistency and work ethic.

"She does the right things all the time," he said. "She listens, she pays attention, and she doesn't get caught up in being sloppy. That's not her personality. She takes instruction very well, she listens, and then she applies herself."

Duerst has also noticed how well Sarkesian seems to be fitting in with the rest of the team.

"You can tell the players really like her because she has a personality," he said. "She laughs; she seems to really have a passion and enjoys that game.

"That's a nice thing to have, is somebody who is experienced and is calm and who the team really likes," Duerst added.

While all is going well for her on the field, the transition is still hard off of it. Sarkesian is busy all the time with soccer, so it has made it hard for her to adjust as a regular transfer student would.

"It's going well, though," she said. "I'm just getting used to the school and the schedule and everything."

Sarkesian said she hasn't noticed too many differences between her new school and her old school yet. But then again, she hasn't had much to go on.

"I don't know, I haven't had my first test yet," she said, laughing.

The little adjustments in general have been the hardest part for Sarkesian.

"I went there (Texas A&M) for two years and I was so comfortable there," she said.
"So just getting used to the whole new routine at a different school has definitely been the hardest."

As a native of Michigan, one might wonder how she ended up in College Station, Texas. The answer is actually pretty simple.

"I was just recruited to go there," she said. "It's definitely a great soccer school. We had a good team when I was there. They still have a great team, and that definitely drew me there. I enjoyed my two years there."

Sarkesian may not have picked up on differences between the two schools academically as of yet, but she has noticed differences on the soccer field.

"They're similar in ways, but I'd say [Wisconsin] tries to play on the ground more," she said. "A&M is a little more direct. They try and use speed instead of combining."

As Sarkesian goes through the process of transferring while being a member of the soccer team, she said she looks up to her two older siblings, both former soccer players at the Division-I level. Her brother, Matt, played at Michigan, and her sister, Mia, played at Notre Dame.

"I've definitely looked up to them," she said. "[Mia] went to Notre Dame and she was an amazing player. They've definitely set the bar high for me to want to do well in college."

So far, Sarkesian is satisfied with decision to transfer.

"I'd say it's the right decision," she said. "I'm very happy."