A local DeKalb County High School Lady Tiger soccer player will be extending her soccer career after signing a letter of intent with Freed-Hardeman University last week, to play for the Lady Lions next season. Carly Vance, a defensive midfielder for DeKalb, was joined by friends and family last Thursday at DCHS for the signing.
“I am very excited. I have been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time. I have always wanted to play college soccer and I am very grateful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me at Freed-Hardeman and I can’t wait to grow as a player,” Vance told the Smithville Review.
“I am going to miss my team and coach so much. They have had such an impact on my soccer career in high school and were supportive of me and my decision to play college soccer. I will miss playing games, bus rides, and going to camps with them but at the same time they are the ones who have helped me get to where I am today and they have helped to shape me into the player I am today. I am grateful that I am able to carry on in this journey with soccer,” Vance said.
Vance, a senior and Class of 2021 Valedictorian at DCHS and her former coach had high praise for her. “Carly is a special player and a special person,” said Coach Kleparek. “I get choked up because I started coaching her when she was just a little kid. She was maybe six or seven when she started playing for me, and she is just a phenomenal player and kid. I always knew she would be something special as a person and as a player. She is an outstanding student and I can’t say enough about her leadership. Kids on the team try harder trying to please her.”
The head coach at Freed-Hardeman, Jason Elliott, noticed Vance’s achievements last year and sent his assistant coach, Luke Janiec to scout Vance at a game. “Back in the Fall, the head coach [Elliot] came up to me and said I need you to go watch this girl named Carly Vance from DeKalb County High School,” said Coach Janiec. “I came up and watched the game and she was really an outstanding presence on the team. She did a lot of the work for the team. She was very determined and hard working throughout the entire game. She didn’t just do all the offensive things that bring glory she worked for the hard stuff like playing defense and helping out on the back line and as a mid-fielder that is what you really look for. I was just very impressed,”
Vance also competed in cross country during her middle school years, but said that soccer has always been her first love when it came to sports. “I started playing soccer when I was seven years old. I did do cross country when I was in middle school which helped me get into shape and I am really grateful for that time I spent with cross country but my main focus in life has been soccer,” she said.
Vance plans to major in Kinesiology, the scientific study of human body movement, and obtain a bachelor’s degree with a focus in exercise science in order to become a physical therapist.
Freed–Hardeman is located in Henderson, TN, and is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level.
