I began soccer at the age of four at my local rec department.
At first, I wasn’t really into the competitive aspect, and had more fun picking grass when I was supposed to be playing.I stuck with it, however, and joined a travel club soccer team (Oconee Futbol Club). I was the only girl in the whole club, and found that I enjoyed playing defense.
I continued to play at Oconee Futbol Club, and even played goalie for a little while. I was always one of the shortest players on the field, however, so my goalie career ended quickly.
As I got older, I began to want to play on a girls team. As a result, I switched to a new club, Athens United, which was about twenty minutes away from my house.
Once I got to seventh grade, I made the middle school soccer team. I was the only seventh grader who got to start and play in all games.I wanted to play at a higher level, so I switched clubs again to an elite team over an hour from my house.As I transitioned to high school, I made the Varsity soccer team as a freshman.
I decided that I wanted to pursue playing soccer in college, and began attending camps and working through the recruiting process.
My junior year, my high school team won our region, which was very exciting.
I began to get very discouraged by the recruiting process, and began to question whether I would ever succeed.I entered my senior year of high school still uncommitted, and began to believe I would not achieve my dream of playing D1 soccer.
I wasn’t ready to give up yet, however, and continued to send out hundreds of emails to college coaches and get exposure in any way that I could.
My years and years of dedication finally paid off and I committed to play Division 1 soccer at Merrimack College.
My club soccer team had a very successful final season, and I was the captain of our team.My high school senior night was bittersweet, as I was sad to see this chapter come to an end. However, I was so excited for what was to come.
I got to have a signing and celebrate my accomplishments surrounded by my friends and family.
A few months later, I moved up to Andover, Massachusetts to begin my college career. Having my first media day was a surreal experience, as I had grown up idolizing college soccer players.
I started off my college career strong, and was even getting playing time as a freshman. However, it was very different than I expected.The environment created by the team and coaches was extremely toxic, and I began to fall out of love with the sport. I dreaded going to practice everyday.
I put on a smile, but inside I was extremely anxious and depressed. I made the decision for myself and my mental health to enter the transfer portal.
The transfer process was extremely frustrating and disheartening. However, when I visited a small school in Virginia called Longwood, I knew I had found my place.I committed to Longwood University and couldn’t have been more excited!
I trained all summer in preparation for my new team, as I wanted to come in as strong and fit as possible.
From the very beginning, I was so much happier at Longwood. Even though I wasn’t getting any playing time, I was having a great experience.Our team ended up suffering a heart breaking loss in our last game, which shattered our chances of going to the postseason tournament. However, we are ready to come back even stronger next year.
Currently, it’s the offseason, but I am continuing to train everyday to better myself and am excited and optimistic for next season.
