On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, Pennsbury senior Courtney Bennett was recognized at a special news conference for signing letter of intent to play soccer at East Stroudsburg University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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Courtney Bennett – East Stroudsburg University (Soccer)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: East Stroudsburg, West Chester, Georgian Court, Dominican
Reasons for choosing East Stroudsburg: “East Stroudsburg was my first real visit. All the people I met were really friendly. I really liked the coaches. The campus was not too big, but it was big enough.”
What was the progression that led you to playing soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve always known I wanted to play in college. In about sixth grade, I joined a really serious club team, and from there, it’s just been that whole process.”
Coach Kim Voorhees says: “I’m so excited for Courtney that she has this opportunity. She was the heart and soul of our team last year. Obviously, she’s going to be greatly missed, but I know she’s going to go on and do big things there. We’re really excited for her. She had a couple of offers, but we know this is the right fit for her. Courtney played goalie, but she knew that any time we needed her, she could kind of act as that offensive-minded person to just go in and give us five, 10 minutes of all-out effort. She wasn’t necessarily the most skilled player, but the second she went in, you knew she was going to get the team pumped up and ready to go. She was our spark plug that we always knew would pick the team up. I don’t think the program has had a leader like her for a long time. We’ve already said – we’re recruiting her to be the next coach as soon as she graduates from college. She just has that leadership ability. Everything about her is strong in that way.”
Coach Kaitlyn Battiste says: “Courtney was actually a mainstay of our program since her freshman year. We had a senior keeper, but she was in a freshman class where we kept three goalkeepers. She set herself apart from the beginning as just very athletic and a very quiet, humble leader. Even as a freshman, she would make her presence known on the field. She started off as a backup but ultimately came into more of a starting role as a freshman and continued to be a leader for us throughout her years. She fought through a number of injuries and couldn’t be our starting goalkeeper all the time, but it was really an easy decision to name her one of our captains as a junior and senior. She just has a way of getting her teammates excited for the game and has that passion for it. I keep telling her, ‘You’re going to East Stroudsburg, and I’ll see you in four years.’ I hope she comes back. She would be an excellent coach. She’s great with her peers, and she understands the technical aspects of the game and also the fun as well. She’s a great motivator.”
About Courtney:
Favorite food: Chicken Nuggets
Favorite movie: The Butterfly Effect
Favorite music: Ke$ha
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