Wesleyan women’s soccer player Yuri Hoshino ’09 has been crucial to the team’s early season success (2-1-1). In the Cardinals’ opening game of the season, Hoshino scored a goal worthy of Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays, sending a blast off of her left foot into the top corner of the goal. I was fortunate enough to sit down with Yuri this past weekend at her home on Warren St., with the help of numerous unidentifiable senior girls. Many of them were shouting answers to my questions and laughing at Yuri’s answers.

Drew Hudson: How have you adjusted to being, as a senior, one of the leaders of the soccer team this year?

Yuri Hoshino: Well, it’s pretty easy because we have eight seniors on our team this year, and we’re by far the biggest class on the team, and our captains have been really great.

DH: So what do you think of the new freshmen on the team, who have already begun to play big roles?

YH: I think that they are all immature and need to grow up.

DH: What about the men’s team? How do you think they will do this year?

YH: Well, they should dominate the NESCAC because they have an extra midfielder on the field.

DH: Why did you decide to come to Wes from your hometown of Chicago? Wes is not exactly well-known outside of the northeast.

YH: Well, I applied to a bunch of different schools. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a liberal arts school. When it came down to it, I was choosing between Wes and Tufts, and what drew me more to Wes was that my coach was much more supportive and insistent on me coming, saying that I would have a really good time playing soccer here, and it just ended up that way.

DH: What are your interests or hobbies besides soccer?

YH: Do I have any hobbies outside of soccer?

Friend: Drinking!

YH: Drinking. Hitting the bottle. You can write that. That’s pretty much it, but since I’m in season I definitely only do that once a week. When I do, I go all out.

DH: So then do you have a favorite drink?

YH: My favorite drink… I have so many favorite drinks. Shots of vodka always are my partners in crime. I really also enjoy extra dirty martinis, those are really delicious. Oh, and champagne, for celebratory purposes. Also, Woody Redpath on the men’s soccer team is one of my hobbies.

DH: Do you have a favorite animal?

YH: I LOVE cats and kittens. Love them. I love them with all my heart, but I hate all animals other than that. I used to have one, but then she passed away, and her name was Ripley, and she was fat as hell. She was really fat, and it was the cutest thing ever.

DH: How close are your ties with your Japanese heritage?

YH: I was born there. I’m full bred.

Friend: She’s actually not a citizen of the United States.

YH: No, I’m not, I’m here illegally. No, I’m just kidding. (No one laughs.) I was born in Japan, my parents are all Japanese, I’m 100% Japanese. I’m fluent, and all my family members live there, so it’s pretty cool. I moved here when I was two, made a living in my midwestern habitat. I just love the Midwest. I love Chicago more than anything.

DH: So are you a fan of the Chicago sports teams?

YH: Well, the Cubs are my babies, and they just clinched the playoffs, so I’m pretty excited. I just hope they don’t blow it or else that would put me in a very deep depression.

DH: They’ve been known to do that, right?

YH: Oh yeah. Just a little. Just since 1908. Longest drought in MLB history. But it’s alright, it’s going to be fine. They’re going to win the playoffs this year and the soccer team is going to win the NESCAC, so it’s going to be a good year for me.

DH: Who do you think will be your toughest competition in the NESCAC?

YH: From the scores, it looks like it’s going be Amherst. They’ve scored 11 goals in NESCAC competition and that’s hard to do because it’s really, really competitive. Williams is also always really good and consistent, and Tufts is always ranked, too. But for some reason, since I was a freshman, we’re undefeated against Tufts.

DH: How do you like your new senior house?

YH: I live in arguably the craziest house on this campus. Our house is called Labias [Luh-BIAS]. It’s just pretty much a female part said differently. We named it that because I had this dream one day that I wanted to open up a restaurant, and I was thinking about what to name it, something really catchy, but kind of vulgar, because I thought it would be funny. So I just said to myself, I’m going name it some female body part and just say it differently, put the accents somewhere else. So I was like, oh, Labias. So that’s my dream when I grow up, after I play professional soccer. No, I’m just kidding, I’m not going to.

DH: What is your major, and do you have any plans for after school?

YH: I’m a sociology major. I think I want to go back to the Midwest, maybe eventually go to business school, maybe just do nothing, maybe just marry rich.

DH: Do you have any final shout-outs?

YH: Yes. Hi, Poopskin. It’s Sarah Orkin [’09] on my team. She is the light of my life. You can write that because she IS the light of my life.