Round The Globe: Senior All-American Nears Record

Article reprinted courtesy of Fargo Forum and reporter Eric Peterson. Pictures courtesy of Sarah Rounds

Moorhead - Sarah Rounds has sipped tea in the Swiss Alps, played soccer in Thailand and also hiked along the Mediterranean outside of Alicante, Spain.

The past two years have been a travel odyssey for the Concordia senior, who has blended those trips with and around being a college student and athlete.

"If anything, it just showed me how small the world really is because I was able to do this," Rounds said. "It made me see the similarities in the world."

Rounds' journey as a Concordia women's soccer player in nearing its end, and she is close to the career scoring summit.

Rounds has 129 points, heading into the first round of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs. She is eight points away from tying the school record.

The Cobbers host St. Benedict at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.

"She has a very adventurous personality," Cobbers head coach Dan Weiler said. "She likes to be challenged. If it's an uncomfortable situation, she's not intimidated at all."

That fearless spirit has helped Rounds, whether she's been traveling through Europe with longtime friends or trying to score a clutch goal for the Cobbers.

"I like new experiences and I really love meeting new people and I love meeting people with completely new stories than mine," said Rounds, who is from Plymouth, Minn., and a Wayzata High School graduate.

Rounds' globetrotting started in May 2011 when she

traveled around Europe with a couple friends for a month. From there, she met up with her soccer teammates in Thailand and Cambodia for a trip that lasted around three weeks.

That next fall, she was back in Moorhead for her junior soccer season. She made trips to New York and California during the NCAA Division III tournament. During the second semester of her junior year, Rounds went to Spain to study abroad.

Rounds made stops in Barcelona, Paris, London, Rome and Zurich during her first Europe trip.

Playing soccer in Thailand and Cambodia was memorable for Rounds.

"In Thailand and Cambodia, a lot of women don't play soccer there," Rounds said. "It was really cool to just be a representative of the U.S. and women's sports."

Rounds liked that she was able to stay with a host family during her study abroad in Spain. That gave her a chance to immerse herself in the culture.

Rounds' eyes lit up when she explained the Spanish Tortilla (a thick egg omelet usually made with potatoes) sandwich that her host mom made.

"It's probably one on my favorite foods," Rounds said.

Rounds also enjoyed playing beach soccer when she was in Spain, ranging from 2-on-2 to 6-on-6 mini games.

Rounds would like to live abroad after she graduates from Concordia and would like to next travel to South America.

"It is possible to see all the pictures you see in National Geographic and experience Thai food in Thailand," Rounds said.

Rounds is also finding it possible to go down as the top scorer in Concordia history with a strong end to her senior campaign.

"I'm trying not to think about because having a record isn't the biggest of deals," Rounds said. "I would rather have a really good senior season and have our team go really far (in the playoffs)."