As we all know, COVID-19 has either canceled or postponed most events for high school and college students nationwide. The Greenville University Women’s Soccer program has not seen the pitch since 2019 when they competed in 19 games. Fortunately, the Lady Panthers have been able to proceed with their spring season but only have 13 games left to compete in. The senior women’s soccer players expressed their sentiment for being blessed with another opportunity to compete this year.
Center Midfielder, Kate Arthur, from Springfield, Missouri is a major in engineering with a minor in human biology. In the 2017-2018 season, Arthur came into the Greenville women’s soccer program and instantly left her mark. As a freshman, Arthur had scored 14 goals and assisted her teammates 12 times. With all her hard work and dedication, she earned the SLIAC award of “Newcomer of the Year”. Since the last season she competed in, overall Arthur has started in 63 games, scored 33 goals, and has a total of 23 assists. As you can see, Arthur has diligently worked up to competing in her final season at Greenville. “I am super excited to have the opportunity to compete during this crazy time”, Arthur expressed in an interview. Even though the season is cut short, Arthur consistently brings positivity to the table and always shows up ready to practice hard. Being a part of the Greenville University women’s soccer program isn’t all about winning championships, it’s also about building friendships and finding your role in life. Arthur explained, “The Greenville University women’s soccer program has given me friendships that will last a lifetime and become a better leader.” As a 2020-2021 senior, Arthur communicated that she learned how important it is to BUY IN as an incoming freshman. She revealed in our interview, “As I have gotten older I have become more focused during practices and improving my skills and fitness on my own time. I finally realized that putting in the extra work will show up in your play.” Moving forward into the season, Arthur has set her expectations high for the team. In past seasons, Greenville has had an abundance of success on the field and pushing to overcome teams they never thought that they could. Entering an unfamiliar season Arthur conveyed, “I want to focus on seeing improvements during every game but most importantly winning a conference final.”
Center Defender, Megan Taylor, from Phoenix, Arizona is a major in both Elementary and Special Education. Coming into the Greenville women’s soccer program, Taylor took the reins on the defensive side of things. In the 2017-2018 season, Taylor started in 18 games, scored 2 goals as a defender, and had 1 game-winning goal. She proceeded to make gains on and off the field by putting in extra work. In an interview with Taylor, she voiced, “I came in extremely competitive and have continued to be competitive. I’ve learned that consistently working out, staying fit, and working on ball work throughout the year has immensely helped me stay focused and become a stronger player over the years.” With this being said, Taylor’s overall career stats back up her work ethic. She has started in 56 games, scored 6 goals, and has a total of 4 assists. This is highly impressive, especially from a central defender standpoint. Taylor loves a good competitive match and is ready to take on the challenges of this upcoming season. She shared in our interview, “My expectations for this season are to win the conference and win the tournament. Overall, I’m excited to be able to play again!”
The captains have officially spoken and are ready to start playing as soon as possible. The lady panthers will begin their season this Friday on March 5 at Fontbonne University. Wish our lady panthers luck as they compete in this new season!
