Sophomore Lauren Piercy, second year varsity player and forward for the Amarillo Lightning, had the chance to play with a the American Eagles, a pro team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

       “My coach knew the coach for the American Eagles and asked if he could come watch me play,” Piercy said. “I played pretty good, then that coach talked to me and invited me to try-outs. I went and they picked me out of 60 girls to be on this team.”                                                                                       

       Piercy, only 15, was the youngest person on her team. With the oldest player 32, the closest to her age was 19.

       “We had a wide variety of personalities on the team but most of the time they were nice and very mature,” Piercy said. “I still keep in contact with some of them.”

       Piercy said the practices consisted of agility, conditioning, shooting and offensive and defensive drills all mixed in two to three hours.

       “I’m not used to practicing that long and hard in the heat and humidity that we had,” Piercy said.

       The team’s home games were played at the University of Dallas, and they traveled to places like Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Texas to play.

       “I stayed with my uncle most of the time and he lived an hour away from where I practiced,” Piercy said. “I (also) stayed with my cousins in Arlington which is also an hour away from where I practiced.”

       Piercy said she scored eight goals in the season and learned how to score when she thinks it’s impossible. She says she is also proud of her speed because most girls don’t have it like she does.

       “When I’m feeling like I lost hope in a game or I’m not into it, I think of the rest of the team and the effort they are putting in,” Piercy said. “Then I say to myself that nothing can bring me down and I can do anything. No one will beat me. Then my competitiveness comes out.”