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INTERNATIONALS GIRLS SOCCER CLUB A HISTORY OF EXCELLENCE

INTERNATIONALS GIRLS SOCCER CLUB A HISTORY OF EXCELLENCE

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24

Oct, 2018

Four Internationals SC Alums on Display in Division I Match

It was a special moment when Lipscomb faced off against Northern Kentucky University earlier this season as four Internationals SC alums were involved in the matchup.

The match ended in a 2-0 win for NKU with Ally Perkins and Emily Soltes starting for NKU and Brooke Brenner and Hailey Eck starting for Lipscomb.  NKU is a perennial contender in the Horizon League, while Lipscomb is an ASUN Conference powerhouse. 

Perkins had one shot in 57 minutes of play and Soltes finished with one goal, which came in the 69th minute, in 74 minutes of play.  Brenner contributed three shots and two shots on goal in 81 minutes of play, while Eck finished with 43 minutes of play.

According to Perkins, it was a great experience getting to face off against former teammates.

“It was awesome to have all four of us on the same field again. After all this time, it is great to see where your teammates have gone and the things they have accomplished. Also, Hailey was one of my good friends on the team, so being able to see her and catch up was nice.”

Soltes agreed.

“It was definitely weird to play against two former teammates from Internationals, especially playing against Hailey Eck since she was in our age group at ISC.  She played next to me on the back line for four years at Internationals, so to be marked up against her for 90 minutes on the opposing team was very different. It's always fun to play against former teammates though and makes the competition more fun.”

While playing against former teammates is an exciting challenge, getting to play alongside a longtime friend and teammate is also extremely worthwhile.

“I love the fact that Emily and I have played together since we were eight,” Perkins remarked. “Not only did I have a friend to grow up with and share the love for the sport, but we were able to develop as players together. Emily and I have the same soccer mind and think about the game very similarly. This helped greatly with the transition to college soccer and it allows us to have a strong connection on the field. She is now like family to me which helps with being four hours away from my actual family.”

The benefits were also clear for Soltes. 

“It's also really nice to have someone from Internationals on my team at NKU.  Ally and I have been playing club together since we were eight years old, so especially coming in as a freshman it was good to know someone here. It also helps us on the field because I know how she plays, and we read each other very well which makes it easy to play together.”

The duo has been special for the Norse according to NKU head coach Bob Sheehan.

“Both Emily and Ally have been strong contributors to our program since they arrived on campus two years ago.  Emily is composed on the ball and possesses a high technical level and continues to develop and grow as a forward.  She has outstanding finishing skills.  Ally is a wide player on the left side who provides consistent and quality service and continues to develop her one vs. one attacking skills.  Both Emily and Ally have been and will continue to be important to our team’s overall success over the next two years.”

Both Perkins and Soltes spoke highly of their experiences with Internationals SC, the club where it all began.

“Internationals trains the best of the best players and plays great teams all over the country,” Perkins added. “I mean my team alone went all DI and the majority was big DI colleges, so I was constantly up against great players 24/7. Internationals stressed everything from mental toughness, fitness, and the soccer basics. I would not have been ready for the collegiate level if I wasn't on Internationals. Internationals challenged me in many ways that made me the player I am today.”

“Internationals SC plays in the ECNL, which is a league that has some of the best teams in the country,” Soltes continued. “The competition level was always high which made me more competitive and playing against that caliber of players also made me a better player. Keri and Zdravko have both also coached at the highest levels, so they knew how to prepare us for playing at the college level. They focused a lot on the little things during practice which ended up having a huge impact on my game.”

Keri Sarver and Zdravko Popovic both came up as big influences for Perkins.

“Keri and Zdravko had a tremendous impact on my career.  When I switched to Internationals my sophomore year of high school, I was not a technical player at all. I pretty much just did what I had to do score and I just went with the flow of the game. Keri and Zdravko made me go back and focus on the basic, which I never really learned from my previous club. Now every time I practice or play, I'm always passing to proper foot of my teammates, checking my shoulder to see if pressure is on and picking my head up before crossing to pick out my teammates. This is how I became so successful as a player and I owe much success to them. Also, they were amazing with helping with the entire college recruitment process.”

Soltes shared more about the great work of Sarver and Popovic.

“Keri and Zdravko had a huge impact on my soccer career on and off the field. They have a lot of connections with coaches and make it a priority to get everyone where they want to be as a player. They really helped with the recruiting process and made it a lot easier. They are also great coaches on the field and always focus on the little things, which made me a much better player.”

In summary, Perkins, Soltes, Brenner, and Eck have all been major contributors on their squads in 2018. 

Perkins has four assists in 15 appearances (12 starts), while Soltes tallied four goals and six assists in 14 starts.  Brenner has contributed three goals and three assists in 18 starts with Eck claiming three assists in 17 starts. 

Largely because of this quartet’s performance, both Lipscomb (9-4-2) and NKU (8-3-1) are in the midst of successful fall campaigns. 

Yet Perkins admits that she still has a lot to accomplish this season.

“My goals for the season are just to improve the way I play every day and get points on the board for my team.  Our team is very talented, and I cannot wait to see how successful we become since conference play is about to begin. We want another league championship and a bid to the NCAA. This is completely possible because I am surrounded by girls who all work for each other and leave everything out on the field whether they play all 90 minutes or just 10 minutes.”

Soltes has a number of goals as well. 

“Individually, my goal for this season is to contribute more offensively. Being moved to forward, I want to score more goals and help out in the attack in any way that I can. As far as the team goes, our main goal is to win the Horizon League tournament, which I think we have a good shot of doing. We also are aiming to be regular season champs and host the tournament, and possibly even move past the first round of the NCAA Tournament.”

Popovic is incredibly proud of this group’s many accomplishments and is quite optimistic about their future.

“It is so rewarding for us to see our players excel once they leave the club and move on to the next level.  Knowing that they feel prepared on and off the field makes me proud of the work we do at the club level.  It is especially exciting to follow the college games when our players play against each other! Emily, Ally, Brooke and Hailey all found perfect fits for their college career. Brooke was always very consistent and helped control the tempo of the game for us.  She could distribute from the midfield and strike a deadly ball from range.  Hailey provided us with versatility and a great ability to attack on the flanks.  Ally was effective on the flank as well and was always dangers in the box.  Emily was another versatile player who could be counted in in the back or up front and always did what it took to help her team win.  It is great to see that all four players have brought those qualities, and then some, to their college environment.”

Based on the success of these four ISC alums, Lipscomb and NKU find themselves in the running for success in the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Photo Credit: Grant Exline and Chloe Smith/NKU Athletics

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