Former WAHS Soccer Players Thrive at College Level

Sarah Rainey, Web Editor in Chief

Western students pride themselves in a large number of district, regional, and state championship wins. But the athletic skills and talents that students develop while at Western don’t just stop when they graduate, with many athletes making the decision to continue on and play in college.

Marina Clark, Rachel Cooke, and Christine Domecq, who made huge contributions to the Western soccer program during their time at WAHS, continued on to play at the collegiate level. While at Western they played for Coach Jake Desch and led the team to two Jefferson District Championship victories in 2012 and 2013. All three made the decision to play for Lynchburg College this year and were a crucial part to the women’s soccer team. Their team, the Lynchburg Hornets completed the season 27-0-2. Clark, who graduated from Western 2 years ago, is a starter this year and is currently ranked fifth on the team, with a total of 19 goals this season. Cooke and Domecq are also key players on the team, both playing in a majority of games as freshman.

On December 6, the former Warriors helped earn the Hornets a National Championship. The team beat Illinois Wesleyan in the semifinal game, advancing to the NCAA Division III National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri. There they defeated Williams College of Massachusetts. This is the first time that the Lynchburg college women’s soccer team has competed in the championship game and is also the first national championship that the school has obtained in its 111 year history.

Erin Clark, a senior at Western who will start for the varsity soccer team in the spring said of her former teammates, “It doesn’t surprise me that they went so far, they’re all extremely talented players and I was extremely lucky to get the chance to play with them and call them all my friends.”