NAOTB: Bailey Cate
Thomas Dick, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
12thMan.com chatted with Bailey Cate, a talented attacking presence from Lubbock. Cate is among a corps of exciting newcomers hoping to revitalize Texas A&M's offensive arsenal.
With one semester in the book, what has been your favorite part of Aggieland?
Obviously the soccer part, but besides that I think going to coffee shops with my roommates and the team is pretty fun.
What’s your favorite Aggie tradition?
I love the War Hymn after games. Doing it after games is fun.
What do you call someone from Lubbock?
I honestly don’t know. That’s actually a really good question. (Artificial Intelligence says it’s Lubbockite).
Are you a lifelong Lubbockite?
I am. I was born and raised there. I lived in the same house for all 17 years and then moved here..
The renowned soccer hubs in Texas are DFW and Houston, talk about being able to represent Lubbock?
It’s super big to play here coming from Lubbock. There’s not many opportunity in Lubbock, so you have to go to the Dallas area to be seen. I feel very grateful and humble to be here and to represent Lubbock.
Were you an Aggie youth camper?
I was. It was so fun. There are so many memories that I have from that camp. Being here seven years later is so surreal to me. I think coming here as a camper when I was younger was really a big step in my wanting to come here. Ever since then it was like my dream to come here.
What are your memories from those camp days?
I went with my (club) team at the time, so I think I’d say all the memories made with my team and it was super fun to meet some of the girls on the team at the time and I met Coach G whenever I was there so that was pretty fun.
You mentioned Texas A&M was a dream school… when did it go from being a dream to viewing it as being a possibility?
Probably freshman or sophomore year of high school when I came here for an ID camp. I was on an ECNL team in Dallas at the time and all these coaches were at the games. At that point I kind of took it a further step in training and weightlifting and running. All that extra work back at home made it possible for me to be here.
When we talked with you early in the spring you said the hardest adjustment was getting comfortable with everyone and learning to mesh as a unit… How did that go in the spring and how has that worked carried over the summer?
I think we’ve definitely improved. Especially with me - if I’m playing center forward, learning how to play off the wingers. This really helped. And I think being here a little bit earlier than we normally would with the early report date has really benefitted us with the meshing together. We’ve also done a bunch of great team bonding stuff before the start..
What position does the staff have you working in now?
Today I was playing as an attacking mid, but like the last two days I was kind of expected to play the 9.
Are you comfortable in that role?
I am. I played the 10 my junior year in high school and then this past year with my club team.
Talk about the team and all the newcomers coming together.
In the spring it was really hard with kind of the entire team being new and trying to mesh, but in the long run it really helped our team. All the team bonding we’ve been doing with all of us being new has us working together in the same boat. It’s easier to come into a new environment when we’re all new instead of 20 returners and only a few new people trying to fit in.
Aggie fans that last couple years have been craving more goals. Are they going to get that this year?
Of course. We’re working hard every day on everything that goes into it from working the ball out of the back all they to the finishing.
What’s your favorite way to score?
My favorite is probably dribbling at the defense, making a quick cut and shooting from outside the 18. It’s a little harder, especially in college soccer, but that’s my favorite.
After your soccer playing days are over, what do you want to be doing?
I want to be a physical therapist. I’m not sure where or what kind of physical therapy, but something in that field.
Aside from being a ‘dream school’ what boxes did Texas A&M check off when you were making the college decision?
Being in a new and different environment really helped. The coaches were great in my recruiting visit.
Free time is precious when you’re a college athlete, what do you in your free time?
I like to go to coffee shops and then I kind of just chill out in my room, call my parents, call my friends, stuff like that.
How many times have you done the Lubbock to Aggieland drive in your life?
Ten or 12. It doesn’t get any shorter.
What’s the food stop you have to make between Lubbock and Aggieland?
I usually just stop somewhere in Waco, but nothing special.
There’s been a lot of coffee shop talk… What’s your favorite place?
In Aggieland I really like Carport and Lucky Goat.
