With two goals and 434 minutes already under her belt, Renny Moore, freshman midfielder, may be new to the college athlete life, but is all too familiar with the soccer field.
Moore started playing soccer at the age of four. Although she tried playing other sports growing up, soccer is what she’s best at.
“I liked soccer the most,” Moore said. “I like the team environment, and it’s a dynamic kind of game. Soccer is tactical, but also has a flow to it.”
After years of focusing on perfecting her game, the athlete’s hard work paid off. Once Moore began high school, it did not take long to decide she wanted to be a Bobcat.
“I committed to play here early my sophomore year,” Moore said. “My parents also went here, and the coaches reached out and I thought they were nice and cool. When I visited, I really liked the team and the campus and everything.”
Once she committed, Moore was ready to play and compete.
“I feel like I knew everything pretty well coming into college soccer,” Moore said. “Some of the workouts are hard and stuff like that, but I knew they were going to be hard.”
Although Moore knew the sport inside and out, the athlete said she was still the slightest bit nervous stepping onto a new field for the first time. However, Moore began feeling more comfortable after her debut game while learning along the way.
“I was nervous for just making sure that I was playing up to the level that everyone else is playing at,” Moore said. “I just focused on the small things like making the right choice and knowing what I’m going to do with that, listening to my teammates and listening to what (the) coach had to say and trying to adjust.”
Moore’s parents are her biggest sideline supporters and try to attend every game. However, she is grateful for how supportive the team is too.
“My favorite part so far is that the team is really great,” Moore said. “I like how we’re all with each other all the time, and even if it’s not going super well, we’re all still together.”
In addition to having supportive teammates, the team’s diversity is also helpful to Moore. She appreciates how the team is not separated by classifications.
“I usually can ask one of the upperclassmen what I’m doing wrong or why something isn’t working that I’m doing,” Moore said. “I think they’re all really helpful.”
Moore has had to learn how to manage her time as a college athlete and a student.
“It’s a lot of walking and study hall hours,” Moore said. “I balance it out by looking at my calendar and making a to-do list. It helps a lot.”
Moore has only gotten a small taste of what college soccer is like after playing a few games.
“I’m looking forward to… playing as well as we can and getting as many wins as we can,” Moore said. “Also, getting better as a player and trying to be the best I can on the field in whatever way helps the team.”