Legacy Spotlight: Morgan Singer

NCAA DIII National Champion

Legacy Spotlight: Morgan Singer

Recently #1 Ranked Lynchburg College (DIII) won their first National Championship in school history.  They beat Williams College 4-3 in penalty kicks after 2 overtime periods. That gave the Lady Hornets a record of 27-0-1, finishing the season undefeated.  This was surely a moment to remember for every player on the team. 

One member of this team is Legacy’s own Morgan Singer. Morgan finished her junior year having played in 27 total games, starting in 3, tallying 18 goals, and assisting 5. These are such impressive stats for the junior forward who played a vital role in hear team’s success.  Not only has this become the first national title for the Hornets Women’s Soccer team, also Morgan becomes Legacy’s first National Champion.

It is important for the players of the club to understand what it takes to become a National Champion and take their game from the travel level to college.  Recently the Legacy got a chance to talk with Morgan about her experiences, and to talk about what it’s like to be living on cloud 9.

1. What has helped you prepare the most over the years for collegiate soccer?

"I would say my coach when I was at Legacy, Jeff Dominguez. He was a huge part of my preparation for Lynchburg as a freshman.  Our team was very talented and most players went on to continue to play in college, so I think just having that atmosphere all through high school, practicing, and playing every week with such great players and a great coach really played a huge role in that."

2. What could you have done differently in the past that would have made your path to collegiate soccer easier?

"Probably paying more attention to fitness and how important that is to the collegiate game.  Obviously growing up all I cared about was playing and the fun part of soccer and never really focused on getting myself fit or strong.  The summer before my freshman year at Lynchburg I really had to work to get myself in shape.  In college the games are 90 minutes of high paced soccer.  Strength and endurance are what win games.  I honestly think we won a national championship this year because we were the fittest team and could play 110 minutes without fading."

3. What has been your biggest success? 

"Obviously my biggest success in my entire soccer career has been winning a national championship, but I would have to say other than that it would be finding a team that fit me perfectly.  This team has become my favorite people on the planet to be with every day. We all are so close and truly are friends.  Also, a huge part of my team is my coach, Todd Olsen, who is 100% the heart behind our team and playing for him is such a great experience.  Finding Lynchburg College Women's Soccer was definitely the biggest success I've had other than the championship and getting to play with people that have a passion and love for soccer as big as I do everyday."

4. What has been your biggest failure?

"The other day actually I was joking around with my teammates about how the junior class is going into our senior season next year only have 3 total losses in our college soccer careers.  So in the aspect of college soccer I would have to say failure does not exist with our team, joking of course, but other than that I would say probably forgetting sometimes that it goes by so fast.  It feels like I could just be finishing my freshman season but I actually just finished my junior.  I always get mad at myself when I look back and realize I didn't treasure something enough or even the little things like enjoying going to practice every single day because it will all come to an end very soon, sadly."

5. Who have your idols been growing up and for what reason?

"I think every little girl that has ever played soccer will say that Mia Hamm was her idol growing up and the same goes for me. Watching her and the national team play I think helped instill in me the passion I have for soccer still today."

6. Is there any one story that stands out about this championship season?

 "I think winning our “elite 8” game away at Messiah is something I'm never going to forget.  We were down 1-0 and scored with 6 minutes left and held on through 2 OTs to win in PK’s against the biggest powerhouse in DIII soccer. That sent us to the “final 4” for the 2nd time in program history and the first for all of us on the team now.  That moment just really solidified to the country and ourselves that our dream of winning a championship was possible and brought us all closer together through that dream."

7. Are there any words of inspiration you could pass down to our current Legacy players?

"I would say to always play soccer because you love it.  Never play because you feel like you have to or any other reason than because you want to.  Soccer is a lot of hard work and dedication, but more than anything, it is fun.   I have fun every single time I play soccer whether it's at practice or in a national championship. Soccer is my favorite thing to do."

The Legacy would like to congratulate Morgan on her amazing successes and a great thanks to her for taking the time to speak with us about her experiences. 

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