The Winthrop women’s soccer team opened up their regular season play on Aug. 19 with a draw against Coastal Carolina University. Senior goalkeeper, Kelly Horan, recorded nine saves against the Chanticleers with three of those saves in the second overtime. She earned the Hardee’s Star of the Game award for her outstanding performance.
Horan is from St. James, New York and is majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing. She is graduating in December of 2018.
Horan first started playing soccer when she was three years old and has been perfecting her craft since. Head coach Spencer Smith noted that, “Kelly has improved her overall understanding of the goalkeeper position since being at Winthrop. She is realizing her strengths as a goalkeeper and playing to those strengths. She always trains hard, and the work she has put in has helped her develop into a better player.”
She is a player with lots of experience and is leader both on and off the field. Horan was voted by her teammates as one of the captains for the 2018 season.
“Kelly provides excellent leadership through her work ethic every day and engaging attitude. She has always been a team player. With that being said, she cares more about the welfare of the team and teammates before her own accolades,” Smith said.
While she had many colleges to choose from, Horan fell in love when she visited Winthrop. “I chose Winthrop because of the campus. I loved the size of the school and the athletic facilities are great,” Horan said. She decided on Winthrop to continue her athletic career, while being able to earn her [strong removed] degree.
Horan says that she loves the team atmosphere and says she will miss her teammates the most when she departs Rock Hill. After graduation, she plans on moving back to New York and traveling around the world.
You can typically find Horan on campus with a coffee in one hand and her boombox in the other. When she is not at soccer practice, she enjoys weight lifting and hanging out with her dogs. Come to Eagle Field to support Kelly Horan and the rest of the women’s soccer team this fall season. The Lady Eagles play home Sept. 7 vs Alabama A&M at 7 p.m.
Contributor: Dylan Patterson