Nicole Urban Fitting in at the University of Iowa

Nicole Urban is proving that athletes who have talent to play at big-time universities aren’t always found at high schools with large enrollments.

Urban, whose alma mater, , has an enrollment of under 600 students, is fitting in nicely as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ women’s soccer team.

It didn’t take long for Urban, the in Lisle soccer history with 129 goals, to find the back of the net with her new team. Late in the Hawkeyes’ inaugural 2011 matchup—an exhibition contest vs. Drake—Urban scored her first collegiate goal on a deep-angle shot to lift Iowa to a 6-0 victory.

“It felt good,” Urban said in a recent interview. “I wasn’t expecting that, but it felt really good to score in my first game.”

Wearing a Hawkeyes’ uniform is the realization of a lifelong dream for Urban: Playing NCAA Division I soccer.

“I love it here,” she said. “I’m now experiencing a dream (of playing Division I soccer) that I’ve had since I’ve been a little kid.”

Urban’s parents, Steve and Margo, attended that game, and have been in the bleachers for most of her home and away games thus far.

“I’m extremely proud and excited for her,” Steve said. “We saw her score the goal, which is exciting. Lisle is a very small school, sandwiched around the Napervilles and Downers Groves, and so many kids (from these schools) go to major Division I programs.

“I think sometimes Lisle gets a little overlooked, but one of her goals was to play at a Division I school. When we went to her first game and saw her in an Iowa uniform, we were extremely proud. She’s able to prove it can be done, and it sets a good example for the younger kids at Lisle, in particular.”

A legacy of success

The Urban name has been synonymous with athletic success at Lisle for several years. Nicole’s older sisters, Ashley and Sara, were part of Lisle’s first girls’ soccer teams at the school after Lisle and coach started the girls and boys soccer programs nine years ago.

Nicole joined Lisle’s varsity team her freshman year (2008), which also was Sara’s senior season. That year, the Lions advanced to the sectional championship game. Two years later, Nicole netted 37 goals and led Lisle to a fourth-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament.

The careers of two Urban sisters overlapped once again last year when Nicole teamed up with her younger sister, Kelly (now a junior), to form the starting backcourt for first-year coach ’s girls basketball team that went 18-11.

“That was another big thrill to see them both on the court,” Steve said. “It ranks right up there when Sara was on the (soccer) team and Nicole was a freshman.”

In the spring, Kelly patrols the outfield for the Lions' softball team, but she’s played soccer, too. When they were youngsters, Kelly, Nicole, Sara and Ashley each competed on Lisle/Naperville Subdivision Soccer League teams coached by their father. The Subdivision League is a co-ed league for players in kindergarten through eighth grade.

“The best way to describe it (the league) is that it’s a few steps above a park district (league) but it’s not a full-fledged travel league,” Steve explained.

Steve agreed to coach in the Subdivision League even though he had never played soccer. But he soon became a student of the game.

“I was a football, baseball and basketball guy,” he said. “When Subdivision soccer started, I watched it a little bit and learned about (the game) on the Internet. The key for me as a coach was, from a soccer standpoint, having never played, to learn the skills myself to get the fundamentals down first and the rest would come.”

At one point, Steve was coaching three Subdivision teams. As Nicole progressed through the ranks, Steve took note of her talents and her desire to become a better player.

“Once I saw that I had given everything I could (coaching her in the Subdivision League), she started travel soccer and worked her way up,” he said.

Nicole played for the Naperville Lightning travel soccer club, which later merged with the Chicago Fire Juniors—the official youth club of the Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. And she kept on working.

“There were some days where she’d be playing two or three games per day,” Steve recalls. “In high school she realized it would take even more (work to get better). I wouldn’t call her a workout warrior, but she’s pretty close to it. She’d be going to the gym several times per week to put in the time and effort, which has paid off.”

In addition to working hard, one big lesson Nicole has learned from her father over the years is to out-work your opponent.

“He’s always been there,” said Nicole of her father. “He tells me what I need to work on. He’s really positive and that helps me a lot.”

Another lesson learned? Make a difference.

“The other thing I try to impart on them is to be leaders out there,” Steve said. “Make sure you’re making a difference out there; that you’ve tried your best and it’s something you can be proud of.”

Elevating her game

After finalizing her commitment to Iowa earlier this year, Nicole joined the Hawkeyes this summer. Before her feet even touched a soccer ball at Iowa, Nicole had to pass a fitness test, consisting of three 300-yard sprints—each of which had to be completed in under 60 seconds with a minute rest in between.

“I was really nervous,” she said, “but once I passed that, I was fine. We did conditioning in high school, but nothing like this. It was challenging.”

Nicole cited two major adjustments she’s had to make going from a small high school to a Big Ten university: Getting used to new teammates, and the speed of the game.

“I’ve been playing with the same people for a couple of years,” she said. “Coming in as a freshman, nobody really knows you so you have to prove yourself from the beginning. It’s a lot faster and a lot more physical. You have to make quick decisions and play fast; otherwise, they’re on top of you.”

Nicole started the season playing outside-mid, but Iowa head coach Ron Rainey and the staff has since moved her to forward.

“I’m getting positive feedback (from the coaches),” she said. “They said I’m doing well and that I’ve been working hard.”

However, Nicole’s progress has been slowed recently by a strained groin—an injury she sustained in late August prior to the Hawkeyes’ 6-1 win over Western Illinois. Nicole recorded an assist in that game, but the injury got worse as the game progressed.

“In warmups I felt it,” she said. “I stretched it out with a trainer and played, but after the game it was really bad.”

She’s missed the Hawkeyes’ last few games.

“I have been rehabbing since then,” she said. “I think I’m going to be playing soon.”