May 21, 2025 • 26 mins
Houston Dash players Michelle Alozie and Diana Ordóñez join Sarah to discuss the NWSL season so far, the squad’s possession-focused strategy under new head coach Fabrice Gautrat, and playing for their respective national teams. Plus tattoos, TikToks and tunnel fits--the pair dish out some superlatives to their Houston Dash teammates.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we were
stressing deciding what to wear to interview today's guests. I know,
I know, we're an audio podcast, but these two are
bringing the heat every week with the tunnel fits, so
I had to match their energy. For me, that meant
a Miriam Webster sweatshirt, shout out Dictionaries, and a custom
Good Game hat from the Stitch god Fire. It's Wednesday,
(00:22):
May twenty first, and on today's show, we'll be skipping
the need to know and diving straight into my conversation
with Houston Dash players Michelle Alosia and Deanna Ordoniez from
Monday Afternoon. We talk about their squad season so far,
adjustments that can help them move up the NWSL table,
playing for their respective national teams, and the cool things
they're doing through their partnerships with Electro lit Hydration Drink
(00:43):
plus a little Houston Dash speed round. It's all coming
up right after this joining us now. She's a forward
for the Houston Dash of the NWSL. She played her
(01:03):
college soccer at Yale and the University of Tennessee, plays
internationally for Nigeria, and works part time as a cancer
research technician at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. We
watched her partying it up in Miami on Midge Person's
Reality showed the off season. It's Michelle Alosia aka meach
Hey mich Hey joining her. Also a forward for the
(01:24):
Houston Dash. She played college soccer at Virginia and plays
internationally for Mexico. Drafted by North Carolina Courage in twenty
twenty two, she broke the league's rookie scoring record in
her first season and was runner up for Rookie of
the Year. Traded to the Dash in twenty twenty three.
She's a killer on the pitch and a fashionista off it.
It's Deanna Ordniez. What's up, Deanna? Hi?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I'm good. I'm so excited to chat with you too.
So much to get to. I want to start with
this early season, Michelle. Let's talk about the Dash so far,
three one in five on the year, currently sitting in
twelfth place, obviously wanting to keep moving up the standings.
What's going well for the team and what needs to improve?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Yeah, I mean, obviously it's not the greatest star or
the start that we were looking for, but you know,
it's obviously a new program, it's a new coach, it's
a new GM, it's a new everything at Houston, which
has been really nice. It's been a good change and
one change that seems to bring hopefully some stability to
the club. But obviously with change, it just takes a
(02:21):
little bit of time for everything to run a little
bit smoothly, for everything to connect. We have a lot
of new players, a lot of new faces, and we're
still getting the hang of each other, still trying to
figure out what system best suits us, and so, yeah,
it's definitely a little troublesome right now, but I think
we're all in it together. We understand that with this
big change, it's just going to take some time for us,
(02:43):
and it's been fun to see us grow and see
the beautiful style of a soccer that.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Fabreese is kind of instilled in us.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And so it's just gonna take a few a few
more games to get under about, but we're definitely.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Ready for it.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, Dana, let's talk about that style. What are some
of them points of focus for this squad as you
were prepping to head into this twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Yeah, I think the nice thing is that we're a
little bit more possession focus, which I feel like is
kind of new and a little bit different for the
NWSL specifically, I think the league is kind of more
widely known as you know, a little bit more physical,
a little bit more direct. But we want to be
a team that can keep the ball and play good soccer,
but you know, sometimes you do need to play direct,
(03:28):
and so we want to be able to do to
do all the things. So yeah, I kind of just
what Michelle said. I think Fabris has just brought a
completely different style of play to the team. So, like
anything else, is just some growing pains, But I think
everyone's pretty bought in and we're all just trying to
adjust and see where we all fit into the puzzle.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Speaking of pains, you're coming back from injury. You had
a shoulder injury last season that ended up requiring surgery.
You missed the last couple of games for the team.
What's been the focus for you personally in recovering and
finding your way back out into the field.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Yeah, thankfully, I had an incredible surgeon and the PT
at the DASH and everyone there has put so much
time and effort into helping me get back, So I'm
super grateful for that, But I think my main focus
in coming back is just getting my confidence back. Confidence
not just in the shoulder and kind of bumping around
and those kind of things, but just getting back on
the field and kind of getting back into a rhythm
(04:20):
and getting back to playing my best soccer. I think
that's my priority, and I do that best when I'm confident,
So I think that's kind of been my focus, more
mental than physical. I think the physical has come, thank God,
pretty easily and it's all kind of coming back to me.
But I think mentally, I just you know, want to
gain more confidence and be ready to dominate when I
get my chance.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Did you notice it when you took that first knock
and practice or in a game that you were like, oh,
oh I'm good, I'm okay. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I think we try to ease me in a little bit.
My teammates were nice to me. They didn't beat me up,
you know, my first day back on the field. But yeah,
I think the first couple times you're a little aware
of it, and then when you kind of fall a
little harder and harder, you're kind of like, oh, I'm good,
we can keep it pushing.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That's a nice feel. Shall you mentioned Fabris Gatraw, who's
the first time head coach in the NWSL, but it's
been in the league for a while. What kind of
coaches he what kind of style.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, it's very possession based, which we all are growing
to love. It's really fun to kind of just play
with the ball and know that, like the ball is
your friend, we want to keep it as long as possible,
and the longer we have the ball, the higher chance
we have of scoring. And so it's really fun. He's
really good at communicating, which is really nice, especially with
just a new system, a new team. It's good to
(05:31):
kind of have that communication from the head down, and
so it's been really good just to see him instill
a lot of confidence in us, keeping the ball, changing positions.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
It's all been really good.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
But he's been very good at communicating and kind of
just showing us at the new groups.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
His wife plays for the Orlando Pride Morgan. She used
to be on the Red Stars when I was a
minority owner. There. Have you been able to get him
to infiltrate the team's headquarters slash strategy and bring back secrets.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Not yet. We haven't really talked about that. Yeah, we
haven't really talked about that.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Maybe we'll get a little closer to that once we
get close to our Orlando game.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah, Dana, what's his style in terms of working with players?
I would imagine that having a spouse who plays in
the league, he understands how the players feel, what they
want from a coach, how they want to be respected
and treated, how they want to be led and support it.
Does it feel like kind of like a younger dude
who gets it or does it feel any different than
(06:36):
coaches you've had in the past. Oh?
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Yeah, I think it's definitely been different. I think you
know him having been around the league in an assistant
coaching position, obviously it is a little bit different. But
I do think assistant coaches get a chance to connect
with players in a different way than the head coach,
especially when you break it down into smaller like positional groups.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
And things like that.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
So I think he has had the experience already, and then,
like you said, with his wife playing in the league,
probably gets a lot of feedback on what is helpful
for her. So I think, yeah, he's done a good
job kind of stepping into the head coaching role and
giving us feedback like Michelle said, trying to over communicate
and make sure that we have everything we need. I
think one thing that I really enjoy about his style
(07:16):
of coaching is just how detail oriented he is. I mean,
like every single detail has to be perfect before we
move on to the next thing. So I think that's
a certain standard that he's brought to the team that
we haven't really had before. It's just not moving on
until it's up to our standards. So that's been a
cool little piece that he's brought to us, just having
us really focus on the details to get certain movements
(07:37):
and little nuances in our game right before we move on.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And hopefully, like Michelle said earlier, that pays off is
you have more time together, you get those fundamentals right,
and then you get the style right, and then it
all starts to click in terms of getting those WS.
You know, Michelle, you've worked your way up on this
team from a trial to a national team replacement contract
to a full two year deal. How have you a
SENI yourself evolved and really work to find us and
stick in this league.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Yeah, it's so crazy.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Whenever I think of kind of my evolution with the
dash and these five years have definitely been rocky, and
this is probably like my first time that I'm feeling
like a little bit more stable, especially like signing a
multi year contract with them and kind of feeling actually
like at home here.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
So that's been amazing. But it's always just like such
a blessing.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I feel like my story, I'm able to resonate with
a lot of the players that are coming in and
kind of just be like their voice of reasoning, especially
since I've come literally from the bottom, like not thinking
I would ever play in the NWSL.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So definitely a blessing.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
I'm definitely glad and so grateful to be in the
position that I'm in now, and it's really eye opening
whenever I look back at my journey today.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Dan, a lot of success for you. You come out
strong in your first year with the courage, like I said,
runner up for Rookie of the Year, You've been a
Golden Boot winner for the Dash, leading the team and score.
How have you seen your career evolve in the couple
short years and what do you still want to improve at?
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, I think it's been interesting, kind of like two
opposite ends of the spectrum, just kind of starting out
really strong, and then obviously moving into the dash again.
Just kind of those growing pains of so many things changing,
So kind of, like Michelle said, just hoping, you know,
the stability that comes with this year just kind of
helps with me and my development. I'm still pretty young,
(09:27):
so hopefully I have a lot more time, a lot
more years god willing, just playing soccer. So yeah, kind
of hard to, I would say, to get off to
such a good start and then kind of not necessarily,
I don't like to say fall off, but in kind
of the standard that I had set for myself, not
being able to meet that for the next two years
has been pretty tough. But I just want to help
the team as best I can. I think continuing to
(09:48):
feel like I'm getting better every day is important. I
think eventually the goals will come. It's just part of
the game. But as we continue to develop as a
team and build those connections and just put better performances together,
it'll create more opportun unities for those goals to come.
So not too worried about, you know, the numbers of
the stats sheet just yet, just trying to get back
to what I know how to do.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
You mentioned also that the possession style is not something
we see as often in the NWSL. You play internationally
for Mexico, how is it to balance playing for them
and the DASH, whether that's schedule and time, like literally
balancing or switching strategy and approach, because I imagine what
you're trying to do with your national team might be
different than what you're trying to do with the DASH.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Yeah, I think it is quite different, and I think
a lot of players experience that with their national teams,
and it's hard to kind of create a rhythm and
a style of play when you play with the team
for like ten days every one or two months, so
there's not really a lot of time to establish those
kinds of things. You just kind of train for a
few days, work your butt off, and then hopefully you
get to play in a game. So yeah, i'd say
(10:50):
it's extremely different. I think just like having a high
standard in training in NWSL all across the NWSL, not
just the DASH, but training as hard as we do,
and not having so many Mexican national team players that
play in the NDWSELL, it kind of brings a different
look to our national team. So I would say the
style of play is pretty different. I think just the
(11:11):
ndwsel in general is just a lot more physical than
kind of like what the players on the Mexican national
team are used to. So, and I am like one
of the taller people on the team, so I think
just my stature in general, just the kind of player
that I am is just different than kind of what
they're accustomed to. So it's cool to kind of be
able to bring a different look to the team. But yeah,
it's definitely difficult. I'm sure Michelle can attest to it
(11:32):
to just try and like go from one thing you've
been training for months and then just hop in especially me,
sometimes she's playing different positions as well, so that can
happen to a player too and just kind of hop
into a different style. It can be a little bit difficult,
but it's part of it. It's the beauty of it.
Every team has to go through it, so we're all
kind of on a level playing field when it comes
to that.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yeah, how has it been for you Michelle playing Plageria.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, just like D said, it is definitely difficult, kind
of switching up styles completely. With Nigeria, obviously, I play
as a defender and with Houston, I usually play as
a forward, so kind of switching positions and like switching
my mindset is kind of interesting. But each position with
each team allows me to develop my positioning with whatever
(12:18):
other team I at. So when I'm with Nigeria and
I'm a defender, it allows me to get in the
defensive mindset so that when I'm with Houston and I'm
a forward, I like know what defenders hate.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I hate when like forwards do these like two movements.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I hate when forward like a pump bump check mee,
and then I like to bump check defenders. So it's
really different for sure, but like disays, everyone has to
do it and it's just the name of the game.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
But obviously super grateful to be able to represent Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, and hopefully eventually it gives you skill sets or
approaches or a view of the game that's different and
you bring that back to the dash and it just
helps you be a better player. Deanna, you've just officially
joined on as an electrolyte athlete. Can you tell us
about your partnership with the hydration drink?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah, super super excited.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
It's a product that I've loved for a long time,
especially once Michelle got signed, I was always going to
her house and stealing them from her. So I don't
have to do that anymore, thankfully. But yeah, I think
you know, me and Michelle are pretty close off the field,
and we share a lot of the same interests, so
I think like when I got the opportunity to also
be a part of the team, it just made sense
that it was the two of us. Like, I don't
know how to explain it, but yeah, I'm so grateful.
(13:27):
I think the company is amazing, not just the product,
but also what they stand for and the way that
they support their athletes and just help them to accomplish
their goals on and off the field and support them
and the things that they care about off the field.
Two is really important to me. So yeah, super grateful
and just really excited to be a part of the team.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
So, Michelle, you started the party, you were dolling it
out to your teammates and they wanted to join in.
You've actually been with the Electoralt for a little bit,
so tell me how it's been for you working with them.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, it's been so fun and liked you said, it's
been great to be a part of a company that
kind of cares for you more than just what you're
doing on the field, and so like I've thankfully had
the opportunity to be able to give to Nigerian women
soccer players scholarships for the US and to do that
through ELECTROLT, which I never thought I would ever be
(14:16):
able to do.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
So just the fact that they.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Want to be able to help me, help a legacy,
help me, like help the community, which I love so
much here in Houston but also in Nigeria is so
important and I wouldn't be able to do that without
the help of ELECTROLT.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
That's really cool. I love how you seem to have
all these positions where you've been turned into a mentor
of sorts, who said, you know, working with the younger
players and helping them understand what it means to fight
to stay in a roster and find their place in
a league, and then being able to give away and
help support Nigerian players. That's really cool. And it kind
of brings me to something else you do, which is
working at a children's hospital. I mean this, like, you
(14:54):
have so much going on, how do you have time
to work and do pediatric cancer research? And is that
something that you're just keeping going with the hopes of
getting into it full time after soccer's over.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Yeah, I mean, I've always been in love with science
ever since I was a kid, and so I'm obviously
going through college. We're kind of just used to mixing
academia with your sport, and so I feel like that's
kind of just what I'm doing now. I think people
don't realize how much free time actually, like professional athletes have.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
We only like have to thankfully dedicate.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Maybe like five hours of the day to actually playing soccer,
like at the gym or doing something like that. And
so I had so much free time and I just
like loved doing things, and obviously being next to the
Texas Children which is one of the biggest and best
hospitals in the world, I knew it was kind of
like a no brainer to kind of get back into
that field. And I'm super thankful to have a boss
(15:49):
like doctor Stevens who understands my crazy schedule because you know,
one second, I'm away for Houston for like a weekend,
which is fine, but then I'm gone with Nigeria for
Afcon for like two months and so and thankfully I'm
able to have someone who is able to really understand that,
and it's just been so amazing and worthwhile to be
able to impact children's lives, especially when they're going through cancer,
(16:13):
which is.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Just so horrible to go through, especially at.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
A young age, and so to be able to be
there for them, hang out with them sometimes like just
be a voice of reasoning or just in the lab
and working on their diagnoses. So really thankful, really blessed
to be able to be in that position and be
able to give back to my community in any way
I can.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
We've got soccer, we've got the hospital, and we've got
Reality TV. You contain multitudes. We saw you on the
off season. What was it like taping and doing that show?
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Yeah, I mean it was so fun.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Honestly, I wish we did it last off season and like,
gotta gotta tell Mitch to bring it back.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
But it was actually so fun.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
The group of girls was amazing, The training was so good,
and and it was fun to just be in a
group and in a space with obviously all these amazing
athletes that I play against, but also getting to know
them was so fun and just different. While also just
training together in such an elite environment was so fun.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
So I think I was definitely blessed to be able
to do that.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
It was so like random, but I got so close
to those girls and Midge and it was just a
really fun way to come into the preseason.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Dana, is that something you'd be interested in if Midge
brings it back, which we're all hoping for. Are you
ready to be a reality star? I don't know.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
I don't know if I'm cut up for it, but
if I get the chance, said, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I mean, it seemed to work out well for some
other than getting stuck in an elevator. There were folks,
you know, getting coached up on how to demand more
money and get better contracts and ask for what they deserve.
So I liked the camaraderie there. It was playful and
fun and competitive, but also you could tell it was
really great for everyone to get together and talk about
their experience in the league. And so it seems like
(18:02):
it seems like it'd be a good thing. I'd be
down for more seasons for sure. We got to take
a quick break when we come back more with Michelle
and Deanna. Sit tight. Hey, it's Sarah interrupting my own interview. Okay,
(18:25):
So I'm about to do a Dash speed round and
Michelle and Deanna mention some of their teammates by nickname
or just first name in this speed round. So producer me,
she's going to chime in with full names to make
sure you're picking up what they're putting down. Okay, back
to the good stuff. I want to do a speed
round for the Houston Dash, So you both have to
tell me which teammate of yours is most likely to
do this thing? Okay, So, Michelle, who on your team
(18:49):
is most likely to man the boom box in the
locker room or I guess that's a very old fashioned term.
Who's most likely to play the music? Pick the playlist?
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Definitely Paige Neilson.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Deanna, who do you think?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Probably Paige or Meach?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Okay? Uh, Dianna. Who's most likely to do the newest
TikTok dance?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Oh man, I'm trying to think of.
Speaker 5 (19:11):
Oh Zoe someone, it's like literally the youngest player on
our team.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Same answer, Michelle, Yeah, probably say Zoe or Keeky.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
That's Zoe Matthews and Keiky van Zanton.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Michelle. Who's most likely to lose their temper and practice
Jane Deanna same answer.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
No, I would say.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Barb, Barbara that was good.
Speaker 6 (19:34):
That's Barbara Olivieri and Jane Campbell.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Who's like most likely to be like a second coach
on the field? Danna?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Probably Abby, She's like super vocal, so probably Abby.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Michelle, I'd say Abby or Katie.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
That's Abby Smith and Katie Lynde.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Who's most likely to crush the tunnel fit? Michelle? I
would say me or d Okay Dianna. Who's most likely
to organize a team activity outside of soccer.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Man, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
I feel like it just depends on what's happening. Like
everyone has their own thing, okay, but like Meach had
one recently and she did a good job.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
So what was it?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
It was her birthday party?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
What did we do? Mich?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
It was called and I just had everyone to come
and they had are just like me, So it was
it was pretty fun.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
It was like she just walking around who looked the
most like you?
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Who nailed it?
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Avery Patterson?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
For sure?
Speaker 4 (20:31):
It was? It was crazy.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
I was like you outmeached me, like this is I
can't believe what I'm looking at right now.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And last question, mich, who's the most likely to show
up to practice with a new tattoo.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Oh well probably, Oh my god, there's so many people.
D or ev she just showed up with a random one.
Jane will probably show up with a random one like
on her butt cheek. Yeah, I'll probably say those three.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
That's Diana Ordniez, Evelina Dulian and Jane Campbell.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
D What kind of tattoos you got?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Oh my, got a whole lot going on.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
I have like a half sleeve and then like I
want to do my I have plans to do my
whole leg So like, I don't know, I have a
lot of things in my brain.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I just got to get them out.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
What's the latest one you've gotten?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
The latest one I got?
Speaker 5 (21:20):
I think it was one that I have kind of
like closer to my hip and it's just like from
a Bible verse, which typically all of them are like
faith based.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Okay, all your tattoos are pretty.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Much like the majority the majority, are you?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Okay? All right? Last question for you that you guys
actually made me think of. Do you have thoughts on
Jane sitting for two games. This was kind of a
shock after her getting called into the national team and
being one of the front runners to try to compete
for that big job. What's the strategy or how is
she handling kind of like a surprise benching for the
first time in a long time.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Obviously, like at the beginning of her career, this is
something that she had to do her first year here,
and so I know, obviously a little bit beat up
about it, but also again, this is a new system
and new team, and we're kind of just like moving
pieces trying to see what best fits us. Obviously not
what she wanted, but she's been in the league long enough,
(22:12):
with the national team long enough to know that it's
a constant moving change and constantly moving pieces, and she'll
be ready for whenever her opportunity comes again with the
Hoaston Dash or with the national team.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Dianna, Yeah, I mean pretty similar. Jane is through and
through a competitor. I mean you see it in everything
that she does off the field, on the field and
anything that she does. She's just a true professional. So
for you know, these kinds of things that can happen
to anybody. So I think just the way that she's
carried herself as the captain of the team has been
(22:45):
exactly what we would have expected from her. So she's
just a true professional throw and through and like Michelle said,
she's going to continue to compete.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
She's been.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
This is not somewhere she hasn't been before. So yeah,
there's a lot of moving pieces right now. You know,
we are in twelve place, so we're just trying to
figure out what's going to work best for us. And
she's she's being patient and she's working hard, and yeah,
she's no doubt that she's going to be ready, you know,
if and when her chance comes again.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
So awesome. All right, we'll go drink those electro lits
and go enjoy however many hours you have free right now.
Michellie made me real jealous with that, real jealous. Thanks
so much for taking the time to join us.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Thank you, Thanks so much, so fun, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
We got to take another break. When we return, a
handful of college hoopers hit the runway welcome back slices.
We always love to hear from you, so hit us
up on email good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or
(23:49):
leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh
four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's easy watch women's college hoopstars on RuPaul's Drag Race Als,
rating tens across the board review. Now, this is a
collab I didn't know I needed, but I'm so glad
(24:09):
we got. On Friday's episode of Drag Race All Stars,
the iconic reality competition show hosted by RuPaul Charles, the
queens were tasked with giving makeovers to a handful of
college hoopers Lauren Betts of UCLA, te Levan Ulhoffen from USC,
Abby Prohasco from San Diego State, Maya Hernandez of Loyal
and Marrymount Hunter Hernandez of UC Irvine and her UC
(24:31):
Irvine teammate Nevea Dean, and my goodness, y'all these looks
were everything. The competition saw the queens work their magic
on their assigned hooper partners and then walk the runway
with them. And the highlight for us had to be
Lauren Bett's drag name the Goddess who was paired up
with Bosco, a queen from Drag Race Season fourteen, and
(24:52):
the look the Goddess served in the end, who good
enough to help Bosco advance to the next round of
the tournament style competition. It's so dope. We'll link to
a Reddit thread with all the looks in our show notes.
And speaking of sports and drag Race, you got to
check out an ESPN story from Melissa Haddock about softball
player Mikayla Edenfield, who says her makeup is her competitive
(25:14):
advantage and she used to be really insecure about herself
when she was growing up. But the Florida State softballer
started watching RuPaul's Drag Race and was so inspired and
moved by the incredible makeup that she saw that she
decided to make it part of her every day. You
got to check out the little feature that they did
and the story that they wrote about it. We'll link
to both in our show notes. Now it's your turn, y'all,
(25:35):
rate and review, Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good Game, Michelle,
Good Game, Deanna Hugh Those who can't find joy in
gender expansive experiences like RuPaul's Drag Race. Good Game with
Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership
with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You could find us
(25:55):
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts. Production by my Wonder Media Network Our producers
are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are
Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutterer. Our
editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch and Gianna Palmer.
Our associate producers Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah
(26:17):
Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we were
stressing deciding what to wear to interview today's guests. I know,
I know, we're an audio podcast, but these two are
bringing the heat every week with the tunnel fits, so
I had to match their energy. For me, that meant
a Miriam Webster sweatshirt, shout out Dictionaries, and a custom
Good Game hat from the Stitch god Fire. It's Wednesday,
(00:22):
May twenty first, and on today's show, we'll be skipping
the need to know and diving straight into my conversation
with Houston Dash players Michelle Alosia and Deanna Ordoniez from
Monday Afternoon. We talk about their squad season so far,
adjustments that can help them move up the NWSL table,
playing for their respective national teams, and the cool things
they're doing through their partnerships with Electro lit Hydration Drink
(00:43):
plus a little Houston Dash speed round. It's all coming
up right after this joining us now. She's a forward
for the Houston Dash of the NWSL. She played her
(01:03):
college soccer at Yale and the University of Tennessee, plays
internationally for Nigeria, and works part time as a cancer
research technician at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. We
watched her partying it up in Miami on Midge Person's
Reality showed the off season. It's Michelle Alosia aka meach
Hey mich Hey joining her. Also a forward for the
(01:24):
Houston Dash. She played college soccer at Virginia and plays
internationally for Mexico. Drafted by North Carolina Courage in twenty
twenty two, she broke the league's rookie scoring record in
her first season and was runner up for Rookie of
the Year. Traded to the Dash in twenty twenty three.
She's a killer on the pitch and a fashionista off it.
It's Deanna Ordniez. What's up, Deanna? Hi?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I'm good. I'm so excited to chat with you too.
So much to get to. I want to start with
this early season, Michelle. Let's talk about the Dash so far,
three one in five on the year, currently sitting in
twelfth place, obviously wanting to keep moving up the standings.
What's going well for the team and what needs to improve?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Yeah, I mean, obviously it's not the greatest star or
the start that we were looking for, but you know,
it's obviously a new program, it's a new coach, it's
a new GM, it's a new everything at Houston, which
has been really nice. It's been a good change and
one change that seems to bring hopefully some stability to
the club. But obviously with change, it just takes a
(02:21):
little bit of time for everything to run a little
bit smoothly, for everything to connect. We have a lot
of new players, a lot of new faces, and we're
still getting the hang of each other, still trying to
figure out what system best suits us, and so, yeah,
it's definitely a little troublesome right now, but I think
we're all in it together. We understand that with this
big change, it's just going to take some time for us,
(02:43):
and it's been fun to see us grow and see
the beautiful style of a soccer that.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Fabreese is kind of instilled in us.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And so it's just gonna take a few a few
more games to get under about, but we're definitely.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Ready for it.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, Dana, let's talk about that style. What are some
of them points of focus for this squad as you
were prepping to head into this twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
Yeah, I think the nice thing is that we're a
little bit more possession focus, which I feel like is
kind of new and a little bit different for the
NWSL specifically, I think the league is kind of more
widely known as you know, a little bit more physical,
a little bit more direct. But we want to be
a team that can keep the ball and play good soccer,
but you know, sometimes you do need to play direct,
(03:28):
and so we want to be able to do to
do all the things. So yeah, I kind of just
what Michelle said. I think Fabris has just brought a
completely different style of play to the team. So, like
anything else, is just some growing pains, But I think
everyone's pretty bought in and we're all just trying to
adjust and see where we all fit into the puzzle.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Speaking of pains, you're coming back from injury. You had
a shoulder injury last season that ended up requiring surgery.
You missed the last couple of games for the team.
What's been the focus for you personally in recovering and
finding your way back out into the field.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Yeah, thankfully, I had an incredible surgeon and the PT
at the DASH and everyone there has put so much
time and effort into helping me get back, So I'm
super grateful for that, But I think my main focus
in coming back is just getting my confidence back. Confidence
not just in the shoulder and kind of bumping around
and those kind of things, but just getting back on
the field and kind of getting back into a rhythm
(04:20):
and getting back to playing my best soccer. I think
that's my priority, and I do that best when I'm confident,
So I think that's kind of been my focus, more
mental than physical. I think the physical has come, thank God,
pretty easily and it's all kind of coming back to me.
But I think mentally, I just you know, want to
gain more confidence and be ready to dominate when I
get my chance.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Did you notice it when you took that first knock
and practice or in a game that you were like, oh,
oh I'm good, I'm okay. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
I think we try to ease me in a little bit.
My teammates were nice to me. They didn't beat me up,
you know, my first day back on the field. But yeah,
I think the first couple times you're a little aware
of it, and then when you kind of fall a
little harder and harder, you're kind of like, oh, I'm good,
we can keep it pushing.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That's a nice feel. Shall you mentioned Fabris Gatraw, who's
the first time head coach in the NWSL, but it's
been in the league for a while. What kind of
coaches he what kind of style.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, it's very possession based, which we all are growing
to love. It's really fun to kind of just play
with the ball and know that, like the ball is
your friend, we want to keep it as long as possible,
and the longer we have the ball, the higher chance
we have of scoring. And so it's really fun. He's
really good at communicating, which is really nice, especially with
just a new system, a new team. It's good to
(05:31):
kind of have that communication from the head down, and
so it's been really good just to see him instill
a lot of confidence in us, keeping the ball, changing positions.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
It's all been really good.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
But he's been very good at communicating and kind of
just showing us at the new groups.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
His wife plays for the Orlando Pride Morgan. She used
to be on the Red Stars when I was a
minority owner. There. Have you been able to get him
to infiltrate the team's headquarters slash strategy and bring back secrets.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Not yet. We haven't really talked about that. Yeah, we
haven't really talked about that.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Maybe we'll get a little closer to that once we
get close to our Orlando game.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Yeah, Dana, what's his style in terms of working with players?
I would imagine that having a spouse who plays in
the league, he understands how the players feel, what they
want from a coach, how they want to be respected
and treated, how they want to be led and support it.
Does it feel like kind of like a younger dude
who gets it or does it feel any different than
(06:36):
coaches you've had in the past. Oh?
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Yeah, I think it's definitely been different. I think you
know him having been around the league in an assistant
coaching position, obviously it is a little bit different. But
I do think assistant coaches get a chance to connect
with players in a different way than the head coach,
especially when you break it down into smaller like positional groups.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
And things like that.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
So I think he has had the experience already, and then,
like you said, with his wife playing in the league,
probably gets a lot of feedback on what is helpful
for her. So I think, yeah, he's done a good
job kind of stepping into the head coaching role and
giving us feedback like Michelle said, trying to over communicate
and make sure that we have everything we need. I
think one thing that I really enjoy about his style
(07:16):
of coaching is just how detail oriented he is. I mean,
like every single detail has to be perfect before we
move on to the next thing. So I think that's
a certain standard that he's brought to the team that
we haven't really had before. It's just not moving on
until it's up to our standards. So that's been a
cool little piece that he's brought to us, just having
us really focus on the details to get certain movements
(07:37):
and little nuances in our game right before we move on.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And hopefully, like Michelle said earlier, that pays off is
you have more time together, you get those fundamentals right,
and then you get the style right, and then it
all starts to click in terms of getting those WS.
You know, Michelle, you've worked your way up on this
team from a trial to a national team replacement contract
to a full two year deal. How have you a
SENI yourself evolved and really work to find us and
stick in this league.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Yeah, it's so crazy.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Whenever I think of kind of my evolution with the
dash and these five years have definitely been rocky, and
this is probably like my first time that I'm feeling
like a little bit more stable, especially like signing a
multi year contract with them and kind of feeling actually
like at home here.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
So that's been amazing. But it's always just like such
a blessing.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I feel like my story, I'm able to resonate with
a lot of the players that are coming in and
kind of just be like their voice of reasoning, especially
since I've come literally from the bottom, like not thinking
I would ever play in the NWSL.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So definitely a blessing.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
I'm definitely glad and so grateful to be in the
position that I'm in now, and it's really eye opening
whenever I look back at my journey today.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Dan, a lot of success for you. You come out
strong in your first year with the courage, like I said,
runner up for Rookie of the Year, You've been a
Golden Boot winner for the Dash, leading the team and score.
How have you seen your career evolve in the couple
short years and what do you still want to improve at?
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, I think it's been interesting, kind of like two
opposite ends of the spectrum, just kind of starting out
really strong, and then obviously moving into the dash again.
Just kind of those growing pains of so many things changing,
So kind of, like Michelle said, just hoping, you know,
the stability that comes with this year just kind of
helps with me and my development. I'm still pretty young,
(09:27):
so hopefully I have a lot more time, a lot
more years god willing, just playing soccer. So yeah, kind
of hard to, I would say, to get off to
such a good start and then kind of not necessarily,
I don't like to say fall off, but in kind
of the standard that I had set for myself, not
being able to meet that for the next two years
has been pretty tough. But I just want to help
the team as best I can. I think continuing to
(09:48):
feel like I'm getting better every day is important. I
think eventually the goals will come. It's just part of
the game. But as we continue to develop as a
team and build those connections and just put better performances together,
it'll create more opportun unities for those goals to come.
So not too worried about, you know, the numbers of
the stats sheet just yet, just trying to get back
to what I know how to do.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
You mentioned also that the possession style is not something
we see as often in the NWSL. You play internationally
for Mexico, how is it to balance playing for them
and the DASH, whether that's schedule and time, like literally
balancing or switching strategy and approach, because I imagine what
you're trying to do with your national team might be
different than what you're trying to do with the DASH.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Yeah, I think it is quite different, and I think
a lot of players experience that with their national teams,
and it's hard to kind of create a rhythm and
a style of play when you play with the team
for like ten days every one or two months, so
there's not really a lot of time to establish those
kinds of things. You just kind of train for a
few days, work your butt off, and then hopefully you
get to play in a game. So yeah, i'd say
(10:50):
it's extremely different. I think just like having a high
standard in training in NWSL all across the NWSL, not
just the DASH, but training as hard as we do,
and not having so many Mexican national team players that
play in the NDWSELL, it kind of brings a different
look to our national team. So I would say the
style of play is pretty different. I think just the
(11:11):
ndwsel in general is just a lot more physical than
kind of like what the players on the Mexican national
team are used to. So, and I am like one
of the taller people on the team, so I think
just my stature in general, just the kind of player
that I am is just different than kind of what
they're accustomed to. So it's cool to kind of be
able to bring a different look to the team. But yeah,
it's definitely difficult. I'm sure Michelle can attest to it
(11:32):
to just try and like go from one thing you've
been training for months and then just hop in especially me,
sometimes she's playing different positions as well, so that can
happen to a player too and just kind of hop
into a different style. It can be a little bit difficult,
but it's part of it. It's the beauty of it.
Every team has to go through it, so we're all
kind of on a level playing field when it comes
to that.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yeah, how has it been for you Michelle playing Plageria.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, just like D said, it is definitely difficult, kind
of switching up styles completely. With Nigeria, obviously, I play
as a defender and with Houston, I usually play as
a forward, so kind of switching positions and like switching
my mindset is kind of interesting. But each position with
each team allows me to develop my positioning with whatever
(12:18):
other team I at. So when I'm with Nigeria and
I'm a defender, it allows me to get in the
defensive mindset so that when I'm with Houston and I'm
a forward, I like know what defenders hate.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
I hate when like forwards do these like two movements.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
I hate when forward like a pump bump check mee,
and then I like to bump check defenders. So it's
really different for sure, but like disays, everyone has to
do it and it's just the name of the game.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
But obviously super grateful to be able to represent Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, and hopefully eventually it gives you skill sets or
approaches or a view of the game that's different and
you bring that back to the dash and it just
helps you be a better player. Deanna, you've just officially
joined on as an electrolyte athlete. Can you tell us
about your partnership with the hydration drink?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah, super super excited.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
It's a product that I've loved for a long time,
especially once Michelle got signed, I was always going to
her house and stealing them from her. So I don't
have to do that anymore, thankfully. But yeah, I think
you know, me and Michelle are pretty close off the field,
and we share a lot of the same interests, so
I think like when I got the opportunity to also
be a part of the team, it just made sense
that it was the two of us. Like, I don't
know how to explain it, but yeah, I'm so grateful.
(13:27):
I think the company is amazing, not just the product,
but also what they stand for and the way that
they support their athletes and just help them to accomplish
their goals on and off the field and support them
and the things that they care about off the field.
Two is really important to me. So yeah, super grateful
and just really excited to be a part of the team.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
So, Michelle, you started the party, you were dolling it
out to your teammates and they wanted to join in.
You've actually been with the Electoralt for a little bit,
so tell me how it's been for you working with them.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, it's been so fun and liked you said, it's
been great to be a part of a company that
kind of cares for you more than just what you're
doing on the field, and so like I've thankfully had
the opportunity to be able to give to Nigerian women
soccer players scholarships for the US and to do that
through ELECTROLT, which I never thought I would ever be
(14:16):
able to do.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
So just the fact that they.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Want to be able to help me, help a legacy,
help me, like help the community, which I love so
much here in Houston but also in Nigeria is so
important and I wouldn't be able to do that without
the help of ELECTROLT.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
That's really cool. I love how you seem to have
all these positions where you've been turned into a mentor
of sorts, who said, you know, working with the younger
players and helping them understand what it means to fight
to stay in a roster and find their place in
a league, and then being able to give away and
help support Nigerian players. That's really cool. And it kind
of brings me to something else you do, which is
working at a children's hospital. I mean this, like, you
(14:54):
have so much going on, how do you have time
to work and do pediatric cancer research? And is that
something that you're just keeping going with the hopes of
getting into it full time after soccer's over.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Yeah, I mean, I've always been in love with science
ever since I was a kid, and so I'm obviously
going through college. We're kind of just used to mixing
academia with your sport, and so I feel like that's
kind of just what I'm doing now. I think people
don't realize how much free time actually, like professional athletes have.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
We only like have to thankfully dedicate.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Maybe like five hours of the day to actually playing soccer,
like at the gym or doing something like that. And
so I had so much free time and I just
like loved doing things, and obviously being next to the
Texas Children which is one of the biggest and best
hospitals in the world, I knew it was kind of
like a no brainer to kind of get back into
that field. And I'm super thankful to have a boss
(15:49):
like doctor Stevens who understands my crazy schedule because you know,
one second, I'm away for Houston for like a weekend,
which is fine, but then I'm gone with Nigeria for
Afcon for like two months and so and thankfully I'm
able to have someone who is able to really understand that,
and it's just been so amazing and worthwhile to be
able to impact children's lives, especially when they're going through cancer,
(16:13):
which is.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Just so horrible to go through, especially at.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
A young age, and so to be able to be
there for them, hang out with them sometimes like just
be a voice of reasoning or just in the lab
and working on their diagnoses. So really thankful, really blessed
to be able to be in that position and be
able to give back to my community in any way
I can.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
We've got soccer, we've got the hospital, and we've got
Reality TV. You contain multitudes. We saw you on the
off season. What was it like taping and doing that show?
Speaker 4 (16:46):
Yeah, I mean it was so fun.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Honestly, I wish we did it last off season and like,
gotta gotta tell Mitch to bring it back.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
But it was actually so fun.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
The group of girls was amazing, The training was so good,
and and it was fun to just be in a
group and in a space with obviously all these amazing
athletes that I play against, but also getting to know
them was so fun and just different. While also just
training together in such an elite environment was so fun.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
So I think I was definitely blessed to be able
to do that.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
It was so like random, but I got so close
to those girls and Midge and it was just a
really fun way to come into the preseason.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Dana, is that something you'd be interested in if Midge
brings it back, which we're all hoping for. Are you
ready to be a reality star? I don't know.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
I don't know if I'm cut up for it, but
if I get the chance, said, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I mean, it seemed to work out well for some
other than getting stuck in an elevator. There were folks,
you know, getting coached up on how to demand more
money and get better contracts and ask for what they deserve.
So I liked the camaraderie there. It was playful and
fun and competitive, but also you could tell it was
really great for everyone to get together and talk about
their experience in the league. And so it seems like
(18:02):
it seems like it'd be a good thing. I'd be
down for more seasons for sure. We got to take
a quick break when we come back more with Michelle
and Deanna. Sit tight. Hey, it's Sarah interrupting my own interview. Okay,
(18:25):
So I'm about to do a Dash speed round and
Michelle and Deanna mention some of their teammates by nickname
or just first name in this speed round. So producer me,
she's going to chime in with full names to make
sure you're picking up what they're putting down. Okay, back
to the good stuff. I want to do a speed
round for the Houston Dash, So you both have to
tell me which teammate of yours is most likely to
do this thing? Okay, So, Michelle, who on your team
(18:49):
is most likely to man the boom box in the
locker room or I guess that's a very old fashioned term.
Who's most likely to play the music? Pick the playlist?
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (18:58):
Definitely Paige Neilson.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Deanna, who do you think?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Probably Paige or Meach?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Okay? Uh, Dianna. Who's most likely to do the newest
TikTok dance?
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Oh man, I'm trying to think of.
Speaker 5 (19:11):
Oh Zoe someone, it's like literally the youngest player on
our team.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Same answer, Michelle, Yeah, probably say Zoe or Keeky.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
That's Zoe Matthews and Keiky van Zanton.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Michelle. Who's most likely to lose their temper and practice
Jane Deanna same answer.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
No, I would say.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Barb, Barbara that was good.
Speaker 6 (19:34):
That's Barbara Olivieri and Jane Campbell.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Who's like most likely to be like a second coach
on the field? Danna?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Probably Abby, She's like super vocal, so probably Abby.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Michelle, I'd say Abby or Katie.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
That's Abby Smith and Katie Lynde.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Who's most likely to crush the tunnel fit? Michelle? I
would say me or d Okay Dianna. Who's most likely
to organize a team activity outside of soccer.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Man, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
I feel like it just depends on what's happening. Like
everyone has their own thing, okay, but like Meach had
one recently and she did a good job.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
So what was it?
Speaker 2 (20:14):
It was her birthday party?
Speaker 1 (20:16):
What did we do? Mich?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
It was called and I just had everyone to come
and they had are just like me, So it was
it was pretty fun.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
It was like she just walking around who looked the
most like you?
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Who nailed it?
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Avery Patterson?
Speaker 2 (20:30):
For sure?
Speaker 4 (20:31):
It was? It was crazy.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
I was like you outmeached me, like this is I
can't believe what I'm looking at right now.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And last question, mich, who's the most likely to show
up to practice with a new tattoo.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Oh well probably, Oh my god, there's so many people.
D or ev she just showed up with a random one.
Jane will probably show up with a random one like
on her butt cheek. Yeah, I'll probably say those three.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
That's Diana Ordniez, Evelina Dulian and Jane Campbell.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
D What kind of tattoos you got?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Oh my, got a whole lot going on.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
I have like a half sleeve and then like I
want to do my I have plans to do my
whole leg So like, I don't know, I have a
lot of things in my brain.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I just got to get them out.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
What's the latest one you've gotten?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
The latest one I got?
Speaker 5 (21:20):
I think it was one that I have kind of
like closer to my hip and it's just like from
a Bible verse, which typically all of them are like
faith based.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Okay, all your tattoos are pretty.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Much like the majority the majority, are you?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Okay? All right? Last question for you that you guys
actually made me think of. Do you have thoughts on
Jane sitting for two games. This was kind of a
shock after her getting called into the national team and
being one of the front runners to try to compete
for that big job. What's the strategy or how is
she handling kind of like a surprise benching for the
first time in a long time.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
Obviously, like at the beginning of her career, this is
something that she had to do her first year here,
and so I know, obviously a little bit beat up
about it, but also again, this is a new system
and new team, and we're kind of just like moving
pieces trying to see what best fits us. Obviously not
what she wanted, but she's been in the league long enough,
(22:12):
with the national team long enough to know that it's
a constant moving change and constantly moving pieces, and she'll
be ready for whenever her opportunity comes again with the
Hoaston Dash or with the national team.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Dianna, Yeah, I mean pretty similar. Jane is through and
through a competitor. I mean you see it in everything
that she does off the field, on the field and
anything that she does. She's just a true professional. So
for you know, these kinds of things that can happen
to anybody. So I think just the way that she's
carried herself as the captain of the team has been
(22:45):
exactly what we would have expected from her. So she's
just a true professional throw and through and like Michelle said,
she's going to continue to compete.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
She's been.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
This is not somewhere she hasn't been before. So yeah,
there's a lot of moving pieces right now. You know,
we are in twelve place, so we're just trying to
figure out what's going to work best for us. And
she's she's being patient and she's working hard, and yeah,
she's no doubt that she's going to be ready, you know,
if and when her chance comes again.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
So awesome. All right, we'll go drink those electro lits
and go enjoy however many hours you have free right now.
Michellie made me real jealous with that, real jealous. Thanks
so much for taking the time to join us.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Thank you, Thanks so much, so fun, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
We got to take another break. When we return, a
handful of college hoopers hit the runway welcome back slices.
We always love to hear from you, so hit us
up on email good game at wondermedianetwork dot com or
(23:49):
leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh
four fifty seventy and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's easy watch women's college hoopstars on RuPaul's Drag Race Als,
rating tens across the board review. Now, this is a
collab I didn't know I needed, but I'm so glad
(24:09):
we got. On Friday's episode of Drag Race All Stars,
the iconic reality competition show hosted by RuPaul Charles, the
queens were tasked with giving makeovers to a handful of
college hoopers Lauren Betts of UCLA, te Levan Ulhoffen from USC,
Abby Prohasco from San Diego State, Maya Hernandez of Loyal
and Marrymount Hunter Hernandez of UC Irvine and her UC
(24:31):
Irvine teammate Nevea Dean, and my goodness, y'all these looks
were everything. The competition saw the queens work their magic
on their assigned hooper partners and then walk the runway
with them. And the highlight for us had to be
Lauren Bett's drag name the Goddess who was paired up
with Bosco, a queen from Drag Race Season fourteen, and
(24:52):
the look the Goddess served in the end, who good
enough to help Bosco advance to the next round of
the tournament style competition. It's so dope. We'll link to
a Reddit thread with all the looks in our show notes.
And speaking of sports and drag Race, you got to
check out an ESPN story from Melissa Haddock about softball
player Mikayla Edenfield, who says her makeup is her competitive
(25:14):
advantage and she used to be really insecure about herself
when she was growing up. But the Florida State softballer
started watching RuPaul's Drag Race and was so inspired and
moved by the incredible makeup that she saw that she
decided to make it part of her every day. You
got to check out the little feature that they did
and the story that they wrote about it. We'll link
to both in our show notes. Now it's your turn, y'all,
(25:35):
rate and review, Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow. Good Game, Michelle,
Good Game, Deanna Hugh Those who can't find joy in
gender expansive experiences like RuPaul's Drag Race. Good Game with
Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership
with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You could find us
(25:55):
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts. Production by my Wonder Media Network Our producers
are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are
Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutterer. Our
editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch and Gianna Palmer.
Our associate producers Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah
(26:17):
Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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