van den Brekel is a senior member of the field hockey team and is a native of Eindhoven, Netherlands. She has earned numerous accolades during her time as a Wildcat, including NFHCA Northeast Region First Team and All-America East East Division First Team honors.
Gould is a senior on the men's soccer team and grew up just 25 minutes from campus as he is from Exeter, N.H. He has been a crucial contributor to the Wildcats winning two straight America East Championships and making three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also named to the 2017 America East All-Tournament Team.
Both are outstanding students as they have each made the America East Academic Honor Roll multiple times.
Now let's get to know both of these outstanding student-athletes. Q&A WITH BLOEM VAN DEN BREKEL
What does it mean for you to represent the Netherlands here at UNH?
At home, field hockey is one of the number one sports for both girls and boys, which is a lot different than here in the States. There is also no such thing as playing for your high school or college, we have sport clubs only. So, it is pretty special to me to be playing field hockey for UNH. Although the sport is the same in the Netherlands and the U.S., I think the experience has been a lot different. Because field hockey is such a big sport at home, I feel like I learned to play on a high level at a young age. Especially coming in as a freshman, I was able to show everyone how I grew up knowing field hockey and share that with the team, but also the other way around, learning from my coaches and teammates here. Sharing different experiences on the field from girls coming from different places is what makes our team.
When did you start playing field hockey? Did you always have a dream of coming to America and playing college field hockey?
I started playing field hockey when I was around 6 years old, which is a pretty young age. Not until I was in my senior year of high school, is when I learned about college sports and universities in America. One night there was a presentation at my field hockey club at home that talked about playing field hockey at a high level in combination with a bachelor's degree in the U.S. This sounded pretty cool to me. Before knowing about it I had never thought about anything else then just doing an undergrad in the Netherlands. After that presentation I kept thinking about it and a couple days later I decided that was what I wanted to do after high school.
What has been your favorite part of moving to America and playing field hockey at UNH?
It is hard to pick a favorite part to be honest, because my experience overall has been amazing because of a lot of different things. One of the parts I like most is traveling with the team to all the different places and playing games in different states. At home I thought a two-hour car ride to play a game was a long drive, but now I'm used to six hours on the bus. I love seeing different places while playing games. My favorite part of moving to America is getting to know so many people from different places and experiencing a different culture.
What would you like to pursue after graduation?
After my undergrad I want to pursue a master's degree, as of now I am thinking of a master's in business administration. I know that I want to study as long as possible, because I know I can always start working after that. Bloem was named to the America East All-Rookie Team OFF THE FIELD WITH BLOEM VAN DEN BREKEL Favorite Color: Turquoise Favorite TV Show: La Casa De Papel Favorite Movie: Narnia Favorite Food: Sushi Favorite Snack: M & M's Favorite Musical Artist: Kygo Favorite Pump-Up Song: Glorious – Macklemore Favorite Phone App: Instagram Favorite Pro Sports Team: FC Barcelona Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Naomi van As Favorite Place on Campus: T-Hall Lawn Dream Job: Fashion Designer Q&A WITH JACOB GOULD
What is it like to represent your state's University and have so much success?
Being able to represent my home state's University has been a true honor and an amazing experience. Growing up I had always told myself that I had wanted to get out of New England and experience something completely different for college, but after my three years here I wouldn't change that decision for the world. I have built so many relationships with locals and heard so many stories of young New Hampshire soccer players who have great dreams of playing in college and it means the world to me to be able to relate to them with my experience. When I put my jersey on and read the 'New Hampshire' across the front of it, I always smile because of where I've come from. I remember playing our season opener in 2018 against Virginia in their beautiful stadium full of fans and looking towards my friend and teammate, Josh Bauer, and just saying to him, 'look at this man, we're just a couple kids from New Hampshire.' Soccer is something I love, and being able to do it while representing my home state is something I'll always cherish.
What were you feeling when you won your first America East Championship and then to also win your second the next year?
Winning that first America East Championship was one of the more special days I can remember in my life. After losing in the semis the year before in 2017, but making it to NCAA Sweet Sixteen, it almost felt disappointing that we were so talented, yet lost our own conference tournament. And then to come back the next year in 2018 and perform the way we did on our home field, that was a game I'll remember fondly for the rest of my life. Just the way the fans were such a big part of that game and rushed the field at the end of regulation time, it made us feel like we had really achieved something great for the state and for the school. I'd really never experienced anything like that celebration on the field after the game so feeling like we had moved that many people was really special to me. The next year when we won it again was really special to me as well, because I felt like I played a bigger role that year and made a big impact in the game. I had come into preseason injured, and had worked my way back into things all the way up until that championship game and I was really proud of myself for the comeback I had made personally that season. I started that game and just remember looking around the field near the end of the game and smiling because the guys that were on the field were some of my closest friends who I'll have relationships with for the rest of my life. And to achieve a Division I conference title while doing it with your closest friends, that was special to me for sure. The Wildcats winning the 2019 America East Championship
When did you start playing soccer? Was it always a dream to play college soccer?
I started playing soccer when I was two years old, and really haven't looked back since then. My mom was quite a player herself, and my dad played in college so you could say it was in my blood from the start. I think my dream for a lot of my childhood was reaching the pros for soccer, and even now that I'm playing in college I still find myself daydreaming about it at times, but I don't know what my future in soccer will look like after school. I can say that making it this far and playing college soccer has been quite an eye-opening experience and I've loved every moment of it.
What are some goals the team is focusing on in preparation for a potential spring season?
Since my freshman year here at UNH, our main goal as a soccer team has been, and will continue to be, winning a national championship. I think this overarching goal also finds itself woven into most of our other smaller goals and keeps us motivated even in times like these. The hand we've been dealt this year isn't ideal, but we are doing everything we can to keep improving and setting ourselves up for success in the spring. The main thing is trying to keep ourselves motivated without having a definitive plan for the future. This is something we know we have to do together because the only competition we will be seeing for awhile will be within our own team. To be honest, this fall semester has really been a gift of extra time for some players to prepare, understand our system, and improve on themselves before the real season hits. If we are fortunate enough this year to compete for a national championship in the spring, then I feel as though we will have set ourselves up for success.
Does your family get to go to most games? If so, what does that family support mean to you?
I'm beyond fortunate to be able to say I can look up into the stands on most game-nights and see my family members looking back at me cheering me on. My parents and brothers have always been by my side throughout my career in soccer, and being able to play in my home state, with them there with me, has been truly special. Family is everything to me, and I'm lucky to have that support only a few miles away. OFF THE FIELD WITH JACOB GOULD Favorite Color: Blue Favorite TV Show: Entourage Favorite Food: My mom's homemade mac n' cheese Favorite Snack: Trail mix Favorite Musical Artist: Juice Wrld Favorite Pump-Up Song: No Bystanders – Travis Scott Favorite Phone App: Instagram Favorite Pro Sports Team: New England Patriots Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Neymar Favorite Place on Campus: Wildcat Stadium Dream Job: Actor
Check back every Monday to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete Spotlight.
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