Technician: You broke your high school’s goals record as a sophomore. What did it mean to be a part of your former school’s history?
Lindberg: It’s a great feeling to be a part of my high school’s history. While I wasn’t able to take full part my junior year due to an ankle injury, and senior year I left for IMG Academy, the fact that I could leave a legacy at Forest Park and leave on a positive note is awesome.
T: Why NC State?
L: I like that I could be part of a growing program. We have a fairly new coach, new players and a great freshman class. I just want to be a part of building this program and helping it become more successful, and we definitely have the potential to do that. I like being here at the start, so to speak.
T: When he was recruiting you, head coach Santoro responded to questions with “read what it says on her bio page.” What does it mean to receive such high praise from a coach you hadn’t played for yet?
L: Honestly, it was tremendous to hear that. It showed that he had trust in me. At that point, coach Santoro was recruiting me to play for Wake Forest, so he had faith that I would continue to improve and get better. I’m a self-motivated person, and I believe he knew that because he had taken the time to get to know my game and myself. From that moment on, I’d say there was a bond there. He trusted I had the ability to play for an ACC school at a high level.
T: Have you gotten particularly close with any teammates?
L: I’m really close with the two freshmen, Kayla [Saager] and Mackenzie [Graybill], mainly because I have a background with Kayla — we’ve played together before. Mackenzie and I met last month but our chemistry together is great. As far as upperclassmen go, Dayna Tomayko and I have gotten close because we both have such a competitive mindset. We really want to win and we get really hyped before games. We feed off each other’s energy in the pre-game huddle. I’ll say something, and then that motivates her to say something, and vice versa. It not only gets us fired up but the rest of the team as well.
T: Pre-game rituals?
L: The day before the game, I always set out my cleats and shin guards in front of my locker with a book I always read before games. It’s a mix of Bible verses, athletes’ prayers and other motivational stuff I like to read before the game. When I step into the locker room on game days everything’s in perfect order, placed out for me, but that’s about it.
T: Emotions after scoring?
L: My emotions were everywhere. Once I scored the first goal and saw the ball hit the back of the net I knew we were ready to just take control, take over the game and just come out with the win. After that first goal I could just feel a second. The rest of the team was so motivated and we were really driving to win the game. The second goal came with only three minutes left, and at that point I knew it was over. We had the win locked down, and all we had to do was just stay composed. We all wanted to win that game so badly that we were willing to do anything.
T: Are you looking at games down the road or taking it one game at a time?
L: I’m definitely taking it one game at a time. I’m the type of person who constantly looks at what’s next on the plate. I’m not looking four games ahead or five games ahead. I treat every game as if it’s my last game to play.
T: How have you adapted to life as a student athlete?
L: Coming to summer school really helped me adapt. I’m usually pretty adaptable to new places, which is good because I’ve already had to move out of two different places on campus. I also moved a lot growing up because my parents are in the military. So adjusting to State has gone great. I really like it here so far and I know I’m going to continue to enjoy it. Soccer’s obviously helped me a lot. The team in particular has really helped with the big changes because there are still so many being made.
T: Favorite thing about NC State so far?
L: I’d have to say the athletics. I love being part of a team because we’re not just a team. We’re also a family and all really good friends. And besides the team and the other athletics, there’re also the fans, the coaches and staff, and it all just ties together into one big family. So ‘athletics’ branches out into all the things associated with it: fans, supporters and the whole school.
