“[Marissa] is hilarious and can be a little weird at times,” Ferron said. “She seems quiet, but she definitely is not.”
In the Sarkesian family, playing Division I soccer is nothing new. Marissa’s brother, Matt, and her sister, Mia, both played soccer at the collegiate level at Michigan and Notre Dame, respectively.
Sarkesian, a Michigan native, is in her second year as a Badger after transferring from Texas A&M in 2006. She transferred to Wisconsin in hopes of receiving more playing time..
Also contributing to Sarkesian’s decision to transfer were the campus and players at UW.
“I love the Madison area and everything about the school,” Sarkesian said. “I love the Terrace, and I love the whole community that comes along with being a Badger.”
Further, Sarkesian has fit in well with the rest of the squad and has developed a number of close friendships, especially with her roommates.
“I’m close to all the girls on the team, but especially Sheri (Ferron),” Sarkesian added. “We both transferred here last year, so we kind of connected in the preseason.”
Ferron, who transferred from Seton Hall, agreed that transferring along with Sarkesian helped them to develop a closer relationship.
“Coming in together, she was somebody that I could really relate to right away,” Ferron said. “Also, as with any teammates or roommates, we help each other through hard times.”
On the field for the Badgers, Sarkesian has been a strong leader. Throughout the season, she has been one of the team’s most consistent players.
“[Marissa] brings consistency,” head coach Paula Wilkins said. “She reads the game well, she is very good technically, and she is very reliable in the middle of the field.”
Offensively, Sarkesian shares the team lead in assists with two. She is also tied for the lead in shooting percentage at .250 and is one of six Badgers to score a goal through 15 games.
Although Sarkesian is consistently one of Wisconsin’s best players on the field, she lets her actions on the field speak for her ability.
“She is more of a quiet leader,” Ferron said. “[Marissa] is the kind of player that you know she is going to show up to play every day, no questions asked. She does what she does, and she does it consistently.”
In addition to providing consistent leadership on the field for the Badgers, Sarkesian believes the team as a whole has helped her to improve as well. Specifically, she noted that the addition of Coach Wilkins has been significant for her play this season.
“Paula has helped me a lot; I have definitely improved this year,” Sarkesian said. “She has helped me become more aggressive and competitive while I play, and I have become a much better player in the time since Paula arrived [at Wisconsin].”
Sarkesian remains optimistic about the Badgers’ final three games and believes the team truly has the talent to earn a Big Ten tournament berth, despite their current 10th place position.
“I think we have a good chance,” Sarkesian said. “Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern are all good teams, but we definitely have the ability to beat them all. I am confident we will play well.”
Although her time on the field for Wisconsin is drawing to a close in the coming weeks, Sarkesian hopes soccer will remain an important part of her life in the future — perhaps she will follow in the footsteps of Coach Wilkins.
“Someday, I would love to coach soccer,” Sarkesian said. “I hope to be a coach at the collegiate level sometime in the future.”
