LAKEVILLE - Family has always been important to Nina (Zeiger) Benoit. Growing up, when she was playing soccer while attending LaVille Junior-Senior High School, she always had fun playing soccer with her sisters and her teammates. Recently, Nina returned to Lakeville, IN., to participate in the LaVille girls soccer Alumni match at Newton Park. Following a brief hiatus, the Alumni match returned a couple of years ago and both the graduate players and the current roster of players enjoy the competition. Nina is a 2014 graduate from LaVille, then picked up her diploma from St. Mary's College, South Bend, IN., in 2018.   She has since married, moved to Kentucky, and started a family. And with the schedule working out particularly well, Nina and her siblings were able to play together once again. On this particular Saturday, Nina's family made their way to Lakeville, and when they arrived, younger sister Shelfie talked Nina into playing in the alumni event at Newton Park. "It's great seeing everybody again," said the 2014 LaVille graduate. "My darling little sister Shelfie dragged me here. We're in town for her bridal shower. That's why I'm back up here (in Lakeville). So (Shelfie) thought since we're all in town - She (Shelfie) lives down in Kentucky as well - we're all in town, me and Lucy and Shelfie all get to play soccer together again. We decided to show up and have some fun." Continuing along the family lines, Nina and her husband Jonathan now have three little ones. "So I live down in Lexington, Kentucky," explained Nina.  ". . . my husband goes to school at the University of Kentucky. He is working to get his PhD at UK.  We have a one year old, a two year old and a three year old that I get to stay home with. When they're all so close (in age) together and so little, it's quite a ride. It's good, though. We're having a good time down there." With the chance to join 10 other LaVille Alum, Nina got the chance to play in a match against the 2024 LaVille girls soccer team. "I have not done anything like this in a really long time," Nina said during our halftime chat.  "It's actually my 10-year graduation anniversary from high school this year. So yeah, I've not been as active since high school. So I'm pretty out of shape. But it's fine. I get to run around with my sisters. I haven't done that in a really, really long time. So it's fun seeing all the new players too. "I played for a really long time with travel, and in high school ... all year round," continued Nina.  "I would play a lot. But it was really the most fun for me when I got to play with my sisters in high school. I got to play with my older sister for two years and then my younger sister for two years. So really, the most fun has been for me is getting to run around with my sisters. And I know I keep saying that, but that's my favorite part. Making friends on the soccer team has been looking back. That was definitely the funnest part of every season. So family's definitely important for this." When we asked Nina about what the future may hold, she wants to continue what she is doing. "Just continue to be a mom and maybe be involved with the kids as they grow up,"  said the St. Mary's English Literature and Writing major. "I'll push 'em to do soccer. But for now, it's fun to come up here and catch up with everybody I went to school with when I get to come up here. So I don't get to come up to the South Bend area very often. But when I do, it's fun to see people, see my family. So that's great. Coming back to this specifically and seeing all the people here that I haven't seen in a decade. Yeah, when you grow older, you appreciate the friendships more and visiting people." As we closed our time, I asked Nina what she learned at LaVille and some advice to the younger players. "Basically, just to have fun. I know it sounds so cliche, but enjoy what you're doing when you're doing it.  All the time I put in and everybody puts into getting better and winning games. The best part about it is getting to be with everybody, having fun, and having a good time, really.  So that was basically the best part about how I like learning to play with other people and learning to work with other people. That's the best part, learning to work with other people affects us later in life. "When I was out there playing with the younger kids. I'm telling them, 'that was a really great pass. Good job, good job'. And they're like, 'oh, thank you'. Like, I'm older and I get to appreciate what you guys are doing saying 'good soccer' rather than, Oh, I want my team to win. I appreciate all the good things that they're doing."