Defensive devotion: Junior defenders develop friendship on, off field during time at CMU

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Junior defenders Liesel Toth and Claire Horton have started every game of their career on the back line for the Central Michigan women’s soccer team.

As close as the two have become on the field, they are even closer off of it.

Toth came to CMU from Victor, N.Y., where she attended Victor High School and was an All-State selection.

She said the transition from New York to Michigan was difficult, but she quickly befriended several girls on the team.

“I stepped into this new experience without really knowing what I was getting myself into,” she said. “I decided to come here because I wanted to be challenged.”

Toth is a health fitness and rehabilitation major and said she plans on being a wellness coach or a health consultant. She said she wants to help people live a healthy life.

Horton played at Royal Oak High School, where she was a three-time all-conference selection. She also played three seasons for Vardar, Michigan’s premier club team.

Horton said the competition from Vardar helped her prepare for the talent of college soccer.

“It was definitely good competition,” she said. “It prepared me more than if I just played high school. It prepared me as much as I could have been prepared.”

Horton is a dietetics major and said she plans on being a nurse when she graduates from CMU.

Although Toth and Horton are from different backgrounds, they said they understand each other and have a strong relationship.

“We have a lot in common,” Toth said. “Everything goes back to the field. Our relationship on the field translates into our relationship off of it.”

Horton said she values Toth’s opinion and often goes to her for guidance.

“She’s the person I always go to off the field after practice when I’m frustrated or need advice,” Horton said. “We’re pretty close.”

Enter Anagnost

CMU head coach Tom Anagnost said Toth and Horton are two of the most consistent players he has coached, which is why they have been in the starting lineup every game of their career — 49 in a row.

“I could talk about them for a really long time,” he said. “They’re extraordinary players. They always play at a high level and they’re always there.”

Toth and Horton said one of their favorite parts of playing for CMU is coach Anagnost. They said at first it was a little scary because of Anagnost’s intensity, but it is something they have gotten used to.

“Him never being satisfied is a good thing because we never want to be complacent,” Toth said. “Freshman year, I wondered who I was playing for, but then I realized who Tom is and what he stands for. I respect him a lot.”

Horton said Anagnost relates coaching aspects to real life, and while he points out when she does something wrong, he’s just as quick to commend something she does right.

Toth said when her and Horton were freshmen, they knew that would have to make an immediate impact for the team to be successful. She said they wanted to play their roles and not try to do too much.

“The more we got comfortable playing, the more confidence we got.” she said.

Horton said they don’t think about being in the starting lineup or not.

“We just go out there and get it done,” she said. “We just go out and play, and hopefully we win.”

Competitiveness

Toth and Horton said they are both very competitive people. They both desperately want to win, and even little things that go wrong in practice can get them frustrated.

“If things are going wrong, we’re going to get ticked no matter what,” Toth said.

Horton said you cannot compare the two when it comes to their competitiveness because they have the same mindset about winning.

While she is a very competitive person, Toth also believes in a little lightheartedness on the field. She can be found singing at practice in an effort to entertain the team.

“I’ve always deeply wanted to do something (with singing),” Toth said. “That’s an inside passion that I’ve always had.”

Horton, meanwhile, has a scar on her leg that she likes to tell people came from a shark bite. In reality, it was a cancerous birthmark she had to have removed when she was younger.

“I tell the shark bite story because it’s a little more interesting,” Horton said.

Toth chimed in, “It really looks like a shark bite too.”

In their congratulatory, friendly relationship, Toth said Horton is the most consistent player she knows and could not imagine being on the back line without her.

“I don’t know how she does it. Its incredible,” Toth said. “You can always count on her to play with 100 percent of her ability. She’s got a great personality on and off the field. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Horton was just as fast to compliment Toth. She said everyone on the team looks up to Toth, and points out that she sticks to her faith and views no matter what.

“She’s an amazing soccer player and an amazing person,” she said. “There’s really nothing that Liesel can’t do.”