Juan Villa / The Collegian

More than just the opponents will be joining the women’s soccer team on the field Thursday night. For the eight seniors on the team, CSU Bakersfield will be the last team they play against in Bulldog Stadium.

Coach Steve Springthorpe said the seniors will be honored before the start of the game. Parents will join their daughters on the field, flowers will be given and career accomplishments and stats will be shown on the big screen.

Springthorpe, who is in his fourth season as the head coach, said this batch of seniors bring something a little more special than the past.

“We came in together,” Springthorpe said. “We kind of have some sort of bond.”

Senior Amanda Reyes has been thinking of Thursday night for a while.

“I’ve thought about it since the day I started here,” Reyes said. “It is going to be bittersweet; I am sad and happy.”

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Although Andrea Alires is going to miss the dance-offs before the games and the road trips, the senior defender knows that her Bulldog days may be numbered, but her soccer career is not quite finished.

In fact, Alires, Reyes and senior Christina Gilbert all hope to continue their career in some capacity. Whether it is a semi-pro league that Alires has already played in, a spot on the Mexican national team for Reyes or the return of professional women’s soccer in the United States for Gilbert.

All three acknowledged the fact that soccer is not a high-paid profession. Alires will be looking for some way to pay the bills in the meantime.

“I’ll have to find a career job,” Alires said. “Not just a cocktail server.”

The Bulldogs are 4-1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) standings and still have a shot at winning the regular season title. Springthorpe says the team could finish as high as first, or as low as fourth. The Bulldogs have already earned a spot for the upcoming WAC tournament held in Reno, Nev.

No matter what happens or where life takes them, all three players know that there is always a place for them at Fresno State.

“Once you’re a part of the team, you’re always a part of the team,” Gilbert said.