USWNT star Rose Lavelle is no stranger to showing up in big moments, having scored in the 2019 World Cup Final and in the USWNT\u2019s Olympic match against New Zealand. Her clutch mentality, however, doesn\u2019t come without work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like I definitely do feel pressure to perform and live up to expectations, whether that\u2019s expectations I have for myself or other peoples\u2019 expectations,\u201d Lavelle tells Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis on the Snacks podcast<\/a>. \u201cI definitely feel pressure, and I feel like I use my sports psych and mental training kind of stuff to help deal with it and manage it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lavelle says that she started seeing her sports psych in 2018 when she was coming back from a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like I was really on top of things from a physical standpoint, like nutrition, recovery, strength building, all of that. I feel like I had gotten all of those ducks in a row and I was like, alright, \u2018I feel like the final piece of when I step back on the field after being out for almost a year \u2014 I want to not just feel 100 percent physically but feel 100 percent mentally,\u2019\u201d said Lavelle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 26-year-old, who has dealt with nagging injuries throughout her career, says the physical part of recovery isn\u2019t always the most difficult part of returning to the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs hard as it is physically, I feel like it\u2019s ten times harder mentally. It\u2019s just an emotional rollercoaster,\u201d said Lavelle. \u201cI don\u2019t really know how I would\u2019ve gotten through that roller coaster without my sports psych.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n