University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Nicole Vernis
September 19, 2023 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Nicole Vernis has known what she wanted to do when she grows up since middle school. While many of us were dreaming about being pro athletes, architects or whatever, if we were thinking about anything at all, the Georgia women's soccer midfielder had her heart and mind set on being a pediatric emergency room physician. You don't see that everyday.
In last Sunday's 5-0 win over San Francisco, Vernis assisted on two of the No. 23-ranked Bulldogs' goals. In last Thursday's SEC opener, a 1-1 draw at No. 7 Alabama, Vernis scored the tying goal after the Crimson Tide took an early lead. With two goals and four assists this season, Vernis, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida, leads the Bulldogs with eight points heading into Thursday's SEC matchup with LSU at the Turner Soccer Complex.
During a recent Quick Chat, Vernis, from North Palm Beach, Fla., talked about her start in soccer, competing with her older brothers in everything, what she wants to be doing in 10 years, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger, or was soccer always your main thing?
Vernis: I played so many different sports when I was younger. I played lacrosse, I played basketball, I played flag football, hockey, swimming, tennis, and I did love playing every single sport. I was super competitive because I have two older brothers, and I always wanted to be better than them at everything. But I ended up loving soccer the most.
Both of my parents were soccer people, and both of my brothers played soccer, too, so that was in my blood, I guess. But I'm the only one in my family that played at a D-I level. I did enjoy playing all of those other sports, as well.
Frierson: With basketball, there are family pickup games in the driveway. Did your family have a soccer version of that?
Vernis: The house that I lived in until I was about 14 years old had a massive side yard, and it was about as long as a soccer field, it was super long, and we always played football and soccer in that yard. It was always me against my brothers or my brothers' friends; we were always playing soccer. We did play basketball, too, in the driveway. There were a lot of pickup games.
I would always go watch my brothers' soccer games, and I would play soccer (off to the side) during their games with the other siblings that were around.
Frierson: Does the joy that comes from scoring change over time? Are you as excited to score a goal now as you were when you were a kid?
Vernis: It's so much better in college than it was all my life before college. Obviously it's extremely important, but I think in college, games are so much more competitive, and it's a lot more rewarding to score in college, especially in those tough games. It means a lot.
Frierson: When you take a penalty kick (Vernis scored on a P.K. in Georgia's 1-0 win at Georgia Southern on Sept. 7), do you have a set strategy, or is it all in the moment?
Vernis: I do have a set strategy because my dad, every time I went to the fields when I was younger, every single time, this was outside of practice, he would always make me finish every single training session with P.K.s. I've kind of gotten into this rhythm of doing a similar type of mental preparation and walk-up. The side I shoot at depends on what I decide, but there is a set strategy for it.
Frierson: Is any part of that superstition, or is it just based on getting yourself mentally ready?
Vernis: I'm not superstitious, and I don't really have any superstitions. I used to, but now, ever since I came to college, I had so much time off from playing in games throughout the year, because of injury (her freshman year) or being ineligible (after transferring), so I kind of lost all of my superstitions from before.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Vernis: It's probably Aly Akers. She is a goofball, and you just never know what's going to come out of her mouth. It's always hilarious [laughs].
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Vernis: I will hopefully be working as a pediatric emergency room physician — that's been my dream job since I was in middle school. And I hope to have a husband and a family; I want a lot of kids, but we'll see what happens [laughs]. And I'll be living in Florida.
Frierson: How does a middle-schooler begin to dream of being a pediatric emergency room physician?
Vernis: I was always interested in science when I was young, especially medicine. I was fascinated by the human body, and all of the processes to do with that. And in middle school, in order to go to a certain school, I had to apply to a magnet program there. It was either pre-med, pre-law, pre-teacher or something else, and I knew that I wanted to do the pre-med.
I absolutely loved it. We did all these dissections and shadowing, and I was fascinated by all of it. Ever since then, and kind of a little bit before, I've always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Also, I want to be in a career where I'm having to make quick decisions and I'm not seeing the same thing every day, which is why I want to work in the E.R.
And I want to help people, especially children.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Nicole Vernis has known what she wanted to do when she grows up since middle school. While many of us were dreaming about being pro athletes, architects or whatever, if we were thinking about anything at all, the Georgia women's soccer midfielder had her heart and mind set on being a pediatric emergency room physician. You don't see that everyday.
In last Sunday's 5-0 win over San Francisco, Vernis assisted on two of the No. 23-ranked Bulldogs' goals. In last Thursday's SEC opener, a 1-1 draw at No. 7 Alabama, Vernis scored the tying goal after the Crimson Tide took an early lead. With two goals and four assists this season, Vernis, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida, leads the Bulldogs with eight points heading into Thursday's SEC matchup with LSU at the Turner Soccer Complex.
During a recent Quick Chat, Vernis, from North Palm Beach, Fla., talked about her start in soccer, competing with her older brothers in everything, what she wants to be doing in 10 years, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger, or was soccer always your main thing?
Vernis: I played so many different sports when I was younger. I played lacrosse, I played basketball, I played flag football, hockey, swimming, tennis, and I did love playing every single sport. I was super competitive because I have two older brothers, and I always wanted to be better than them at everything. But I ended up loving soccer the most.
Both of my parents were soccer people, and both of my brothers played soccer, too, so that was in my blood, I guess. But I'm the only one in my family that played at a D-I level. I did enjoy playing all of those other sports, as well.
Frierson: With basketball, there are family pickup games in the driveway. Did your family have a soccer version of that?
Vernis: The house that I lived in until I was about 14 years old had a massive side yard, and it was about as long as a soccer field, it was super long, and we always played football and soccer in that yard. It was always me against my brothers or my brothers' friends; we were always playing soccer. We did play basketball, too, in the driveway. There were a lot of pickup games.
I would always go watch my brothers' soccer games, and I would play soccer (off to the side) during their games with the other siblings that were around.
Frierson: Does the joy that comes from scoring change over time? Are you as excited to score a goal now as you were when you were a kid?
Vernis: It's so much better in college than it was all my life before college. Obviously it's extremely important, but I think in college, games are so much more competitive, and it's a lot more rewarding to score in college, especially in those tough games. It means a lot.
Frierson: When you take a penalty kick (Vernis scored on a P.K. in Georgia's 1-0 win at Georgia Southern on Sept. 7), do you have a set strategy, or is it all in the moment?
Vernis: I do have a set strategy because my dad, every time I went to the fields when I was younger, every single time, this was outside of practice, he would always make me finish every single training session with P.K.s. I've kind of gotten into this rhythm of doing a similar type of mental preparation and walk-up. The side I shoot at depends on what I decide, but there is a set strategy for it.
Frierson: Is any part of that superstition, or is it just based on getting yourself mentally ready?
Vernis: I'm not superstitious, and I don't really have any superstitions. I used to, but now, ever since I came to college, I had so much time off from playing in games throughout the year, because of injury (her freshman year) or being ineligible (after transferring), so I kind of lost all of my superstitions from before.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Vernis: It's probably Aly Akers. She is a goofball, and you just never know what's going to come out of her mouth. It's always hilarious [laughs].
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Vernis: I will hopefully be working as a pediatric emergency room physician — that's been my dream job since I was in middle school. And I hope to have a husband and a family; I want a lot of kids, but we'll see what happens [laughs]. And I'll be living in Florida.
Frierson: How does a middle-schooler begin to dream of being a pediatric emergency room physician?
Vernis: I was always interested in science when I was young, especially medicine. I was fascinated by the human body, and all of the processes to do with that. And in middle school, in order to go to a certain school, I had to apply to a magnet program there. It was either pre-med, pre-law, pre-teacher or something else, and I knew that I wanted to do the pre-med.
I absolutely loved it. We did all these dissections and shadowing, and I was fascinated by all of it. Ever since then, and kind of a little bit before, I've always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Also, I want to be in a career where I'm having to make quick decisions and I'm not seeing the same thing every day, which is why I want to work in the E.R.
And I want to help people, especially children.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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