The world of collegiate soccer is fast paced and full of action. Without a doubt, one of the most exciting players to watch on the field is Winthrop’s own Ashlynn Harris.
When she isn’t conducting clinical research at her internship, senior and exercise science major Ashlynn Harris is the starting goalkeeper on the women’s soccer team.
Originally from Hilton Head, Harris competed in volleyball, basketball and soccer in high school, but it was her skills on the soccer team that propelled her to the collegiate field.
“I originally was a field player, but then they were like ‘She’s too tall to be in the field; there’s no chance.’ So, then they threw me in goal, and so I have been playing goalkeeper since I was nine or ten years old. Ever since then, I was just in love with it. I just fell in love with the sport,” said Harris.
As high school ended, Harris visited several schools in hopes of playing on their team but ended up deciding on Winthrop.
“I came here on my unofficial visit and I was with all the seniors and I had a dinner with all the coaches, and the coaches just made it feel like a family,” Harris said. “I realized very quickly, instead of coming onto a team as a freshman and having to do freshman duties, they were all so inviting I felt like I could talk to any of them and I had 25 new best friends.”
Currently in her last semester at Winthrop, Harris recalled a few of her favorite moments as a part of the team.
“Beating Ashville at home — it was pouring down rain and terrible conditions. Our team ended up beating them [and] everyone just let out a big sigh of relief like ‘we did it.’ It was just the nicest feeling.” said Harris.
Harris said that another fond memory she has is in the match against the South Carolina State University Bulldogs in 2017, where Winthrop was able to earn a 1-0 win in overtime.
“We played SC state at SC state and the whole game they were just heckling us and talking bad to our coaches. Like, they definitely should have been thrown out. We ended up winning in overtime and after that we all just ran and dogpiled on the field,” Harris said.
The Eagles have already had two games postponed this season, but they look forward to their next match against UNC Asheville on March 14. Be sure to follow @WinthropWSoccer on social media to stay up to date with Ashlynn and the rest of the team.
Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
