Rookie Lexi Sheely was named the Big South Women’s Soccer Freshman of the Week after she scored the game winning goal in the 81st minute of the game against Jacksonville University on Sept. 2. The goal was her first as an Eagle.
Sheely is an athletic trainer major from Lexington, Kentucky. She began her soccer career when she was five years old. When asked why she chose Winthrop she said, “Right when I stepped on campus it felt like home. I loved the atmosphere of the campus and I loved the soccer players and coaches”. Her favorite memory at Winthrop so far has been making new friends from all over the United States and around the world.
Head coach Spencer Smith is optimistic about Sheely’s career at Winthrop. “Lexi is a player with a lot of potential. She is an athletic and strong player who looks to get to goal. Lexi adds an attacking style to the team and has displayed a good work ethic in training,” Smith said.
“I am very excited about this season and my soccer career at Winthrop. I think our team has great potential to do really well in conference. I am also excited for our team to grow closer and keep pushing to be the best we can be,” Sheely said. “The college game is definitely way more intense than high school. The game is much faster and girls are a lot stronger”.
“Overall, Lexi has done well and it was a matter of time before she got her first collegiate goal. Lexi’s goal against JU was finished with excellent composure,” Smith said.
“It was an amazing feeling and I was really happy to do it for my team,” Sheely said.
The following week, junior Allie Thomas and sophomore Arryana Daniels were awarded with Big South Honors after an outstanding performance against Presbyterian College on Sept. 14.
“I was very happy and thankful to be chosen as the Big South Defensive Player of the week. I’ve been working really hard to get better and play my best game every game, so it was really nice to see my hard work get recognized,” Daniels said. “A big part of improving my play has been the hard work the whole team has been doing. We’ve been focusing on improving and developing our play as a team, so that with whatever we do is done to the best of our ability.”
Thomas earned Big South Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the match. Daniels earned the Big South Defensive Player of the Week after shutting out the Blue Hose and only allowing them one shot. The eagles went on to win 2-0.
Support these three and the rest of the Lady Eagles at their next home game today, Sept. 26 against Gardner Webb University. Kick off starts at 7 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Contributor: Dylan Patterson
