IRVINE, Calif. --- "What is the purpose?" is something that Sarah Devine asks herself on a daily basis now. Coming into the program at UC Irvine, she had a purpose: to compete at the highest level of soccer and go to a good school.

"I literally had no expectations, I was the first member of my family to be a collegiate athlete." She jumped right in with the program becoming a starter in her sophomore season, but admitted there was a lot to adjust to in the college ranks.

"I learned a lot about fluidity of life and working with change. In college, everything keeps evolving. It is important to roll with the punches and take advantage of every opportunity." Some of that evolution came on the pitch where Devine also had to adapt to her Head Coach Scott Juniper.

"Scott is extremely organized, focused, and passionate. He is probably one of the smartest people I know. He is always willing to better understand the players." The two didn't always see eye-to-eye, but it came together in 2010 in the team's marvelous run deep into the NCAA Tournament. "As we walked off the field as a team towards the sideline, we all had our arms around each other and these crazy smiles on! It was the best moment of my UCI playing career."

At that moment, Sarah and the UCI program realized what its purpose was, to get to that level. All that hard work and practice is always to reach a set goal, but sometimes it takes reaching that place you're going to truly understand that "why?" part.

That is one thing that Devine has taken from the UCI soccer program. "When planning a drill, a team activity, fitness, or formulating practice, it is so important to understand what the team is getting out of it." Devine joined the Anteater coaching staff in 2012 as a volunteer and really got to delve into that firsthand while also continuing her playing career alongside Anteater alum Judy Christopher with the San Diego SeaLions soccer club.

"Asking myself 'why' ahead of time helps me to make use of every single minute that I get to coach my players." It's something that Coach Juniper instills into his teams, and Coach Devine has taken to heart as she joins the 'Eaters' Big West counterpart in UC Riverside.

"Nat and Keishawn both have so much coaching experience. They have already taught me different ways to look at the game," Devine says of her Highlander coaching staff. "I have been saying that I hope UCI wins every other game EXCEPT when they have to play Riverside." One would hope she might settle for a draw in that situation, but perhaps her newfound, purpose-driven style is at work to light a fire under her former program.

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