On Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, Abington seniors Carley Slavin, Natalene Clemson & Maura Day were recognized for committing to continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level.
Natalene Clemson – Waynesburg University (Soccer)
Major: Elementary Education
Final list of colleges: Waynesburg, Bethany
Reasons for choosing Waynesburg: “With my major and the location, I decided Waynesburg was the better fit, and I loved the college itself.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I didn’t start playing soccer until seventh or eighth grade, so I’m a pretty late bloomer to the soccer world. Once I started playing soccer, I joined a club team and I started school soccer, and I just learned to love the sport. It’s something I decided I wanted to pursue in college. It’s something that brings me joy when I play on the field. I think that’s the most rewarding thing, and I knew that I could do soccer and my major and go out of college with an athletic perspective and an academic perspective.”
Coach Rick Tompkins says: “Nat got better every year, and she wants it more than anybody. There’s no doubt about her ardor - she really has the (soccer) bug, and she was a contributor to our team. She’s coachable – she’s always asking questions, and she’s trying to get better. She participates in any activity that we have – she signs up. Waynesburg offers what she wants, which is good, and she’ll be able to play. I’m happy for her.”
About Natalene:
Favorite food: A good well-done steak
Favorite TV show: All American
Favorite music: Pop/Rap
Maura Day – Kutztown University (Soccer)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Kutztown, West Chester, La Salle, Rider
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “When I went there, the coach was really welcoming. I met some of the team, so they really led me in the right direction. It just felt like home when we were visiting, so I really liked it.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I’m from more of a basketball family, but when I started soccer, I liked it. It was always soccer.”
Coach Rick Tompkins says: “Maura was our speaking captain, and that’s decided by our team. She just stepped up. She’s a natural leader. She scores goals – she ended up with 60 goals and 58 assists, and this year she just went berserk. She scored corner kicks directly, she scored free kicks directly, she had assists that the player on the receiving end half the time didn’t even know the ball was coming to them. She just sees the game at a different level than most of the girls. She would have scored a lot more except I had to take her out. It’s just not fair to keep her on the field. I can’t wait until next year. She’ll be at Kutztown and Carley will be at West Chester. They’re both D2 programs, and I think the coaches are lucky because I think they got D1 prospects. There’s no doubt in my mind they could both play D1 if they wanted to.”
About Maura:
Favorite food: Chicken Nuggets & Fries
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Carley Slavin – West Chester University (Soccer)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Jefferson
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I wanted to stay close to home. I have a pretty big family, and I didn’t want to go too far. I love the school, it’s a really nice campus, and the team is really welcoming and same with the coaches.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I always played since I was really young. The last year I joined a really competitive club team. We went to nationals and actually won nationals, and it really set in that I could play in college.”
Coach Rick Tompkins says: “Carley is the engine that made our team run. She does more work than 10 girls. She works offensively, she works defensively. She’s excellent in the air – she scored a bunch of big head ball goals for us. Maura was smart enough to figure out early on that Carley was a good target, and she would set up plays specifically for Carley to come in late and then finish. Last year, she was runner-up player of the year, and she could have easily been there this year. Maura was the player of the conference, and it’s crazy to say, but she was almost in Maura’s shadow, and she’s not. She can stand very much on her own two feet. She played great for us the whole time she was at Abington. Both of these girls were captains. They are the sweetest girls in the world, and they have a lot of personality. The rest of the team really likes both of them. Their love of the game and the team is infectious, and it just carries over to everything they do, and I give them both credit for that because they were big parts of engendering that spirit.”
About Carley:
Favorite food: My dad’s pasta
Favorite TV show: Vampire Diaries
Favorite music: Pop
- Log in to post comments
