I'm 11, tall, and thin. I get pushed off the ball a lot even when I get better at leaning in, especially by the older girls at ODP. Do you have to be strong and pushy to play at a good college like UNC? -- Natalie from Syracuse, NY

This is a great question to ask a skinny player like me. Now that our season is over I am going to spend a lot of time in the gym trying to get stronger, but the fact is no matter how many weights I lift I am always going to be one of the smaller and weaker players on the field by virtue of my body type. Just as you were saying that even when you get better at leaning in, you're still getting pushed off the ball by bigger girls, the same is true for me. Nonetheless, this hasn't stopped me from having a great soccer career, so don't let it stop you. The secret is, don't get yourself in situations where it is a battle of strength. Focus on your quickness and your ball skills. That way you'll be able to evade the bigger and stronger girls by keeping the ball and your body moving.

Another trick I've picked up is not to even try to tackle unless it is a slide tackle. Otherwise the other girl's leg is usually stronger and she gets the ball by me. Instead I try to poke the ball away as she is going by, or as she begins to go in for a tackle with me I just stand in front of her with both my feet and let her kick the ball into me. It doesn't work all the time, but for me it works better than tackling regularly. Regardless of whether or not these tricks work for you, if you love the game and keep working hard at it nothing will stop you from playing in college.

Dear Emily, how would you say your soccer skills and general athleticism translate to your performance on the dance floor? You've got super quick feet and legs on the game field, how fast can you move them to the groove of hip-hop or rap? Thanks. -- Etna from Pocatello, Idaho

Etna, this is a great question. Everyone on the NY Power loves to dance, including myself. In fact, on our most recent trip out to California we organized a team dance-off the day before our semifinal match against the Bay Area. Some of my teammates have great rhythm, I unfortunately do not, so what I try to do on the dance floor is move so fast that no one can tell I am off beat. It is a trick I picked up in high school from a friend. I call it the "Michelle Lenihan."

By the way, I have a friend who runs a horse farm out in Pocatello. His name is Keon Beaver. Do you know him?

Help! This year I am a new coach for my daughter's under 10 soccer team. Although I have assisted in the past, and bring with me 10 years of experience, I cannot help but feel intimidated by fathers out there coaching their daughters. Our league representative has just informed me that there are a few teams out there that are ready for a scrimmage gage. He has let me know that their teams are confident and gave me the feeling that my team might do poorly against theirs. Could you please give me some pointers on how to get over the nervousness and sleepless nights that I have been having, mostly due to not wanting to let the girls down? Thanks. -- Martha from San Diego, CA

I also used to have sleepless nights anticipating a big game. Two tricks have helped me overcome this anxiety:

First, I remind myself all the time that I play soccer because it is fun. Your players are the same way. They want to work hard and hopefully win, but above all they want to have fun. If you send them the message that you're nervous about not winning, they'll interpret your behavior to mean that the outcome of the game is more important than the actual playing of the game. I've never felt bad about losing if I had a good time in the game. Most recently our team lost to the Bay Area in the WUSA semifinal. Though we lost, it was one of the most fun games in which I have ever played. Even at the professional level, the last thing my teammates and I say to each other before we leave our huddle and take the field, is, "Hey, just have some fun out there."

Second, our team psychologist taught us a good trick to use when we're trying to fall asleep before a big game and we can't calm ourselves down. Every time a thought about the game pops into your mind you just say to yourself, "cancel it." Eventually the thoughts stop coming and you doze off. This trick also works for scary movies and any other nighttime jitters you might have.

I'm a junior in high school and I've been playing soccer since I was 6 years old. Now that I'm older, I've gotten in to more competitive soccer with my club team. This past May I tore my ACL and got surgery in June. Do you have any suggestions about any good exercises to help strengthen my leg and get me back to soccer as soon as possible? -- Melissa from York, Pennsylvania

Sorry to hear about your leg, Melissa, but don't worry, some of the best players in the world have torn their ACL's and many will come back even better than before. The best advice I have is to find a really good physical therapist and then follow the rehab protocol he/she writes for you. You want to do as much as you can, but not so much that you push your knee too far too fast. It's a fine line. Just be up front with your doctors and tell them you want the most aggressive rehab schedule you can have so you can get back out there kicking.

I know how hard it is to be sidelined with an injury when all you want to do is play. For what it is worth, you're in good company. My teammate, Christy Pearce, who plays with the US National Team just tore her ACL when we played Carolina and is scheduled for surgery this month. By the way, both my mom and my dad grew up in York. They met at York Country Day in the tenth grade. I have a ton of grandparents and cousins still there. If it weren't for York, I wouldn't be here.

Hi! For my team, we must juggle a ball 25 times on our feet. I am clueless and can't get more than 6! I need pointers and advice on how to juggle. Thanks! -- Sarah from Columbia, Maryland

Sarah, the most important trick to juggling is balance. To be a good juggler you have to be comfortable standing on one foot at a time. Once you can balance well then you'll be able to focus on kneeing, kicking, and heading the ball to keep it in the air. And then of course, it is just all about practice.

What do you do on game day when you don't start till 7 p.m? Do you spend the day doing a certain thing or whatever? -- Ellen from Oakdale, NY

It is not easy to wait around until 7 p.m. You have to try to keep your body rested, but not so rested you get lethargic. The first thing we all do is sleep. The more sleep we have the two nights before the game the more energy we have during the game. Once we can't sleep anymore some of us will watch movies, others will read books, and others will go on a light walk or jog just to stretch our legs.

Then at around 3 p.m. we all meet up for a pregame meal of chicken, pasta, vegetables, and cookies. Some people don't eat much, they like to feel light before a game. I'm the opposite. I eat like it is Thanksgiving dinner. The more food I eat the more energy I have. Around mealtime we all start to get nervous and anxious so we turn to each other and ease the tension with good humor. We always laugh a lot before a big game. It breaks the tension and reminds us that the most important part of playing soccer is having fun.

What is the best advice a coach has ever given you?
--Jonathan from Danville, Virginia

"Be bold and powerful forces will come to you." Our coach read us that quote before our season opener in Atlanta. There are always going to be games when you can't help but be nervous, but when given the choice between being nervous or being bold, be bold.

Do you miss teaching? Do you plan to go back to teaching?
-- Ashly from Greenlawn, NY

I miss teaching very much. I loved it as much as I love playing soccer. They are very similar jobs, actually. In both jobs you spend your days with twenty or so great people, you all work together towards common goals, and you inevitably have a lot of great laughs. I plan to go back to teaching eventually, but I am going to play soccer for now while my body is young and strong. I keep in touch with my students though. Before our semifinal game against the Bay Area I got phone calls from both Kareem and Johnathan who had been in my third grade class this year. They left the cutest messages and I listened to them before the game to help calm my nerves.

What skills and traits as a soccer competitor carry over to the rest of your life, particularly as a third grade teacher? -- Karen from Cedarhurst, NY

Great question Karen. Personally, I think everything about soccer carries over into the rest of my life -- hard work, perseverance, teamwork, setting goals, dealing with disappointment, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, finding patience and strength you weren't sure you had in you. I think the classroom and the soccer field are very similar places. They're both places where the harder you work the more fun you have. Plus, you're never lonely in either place, you always have people around you to encourage you and make you smile.