Marysville Pilchuck senior midfielder Olivia Lee is more than happy to record an assist rather than score a goal herself. In fact, she may prefer it that way.
Lee, who earned All-Wesco 3A honors in her sophomore and junior seasons and has played for the Redmond-based Crossfire Premier club team for the past six years, has strong playmaking skills.
“The game definitely runs through her,” Tomahawks coach Paul Bartley said. “She’s good at reading plays, making good decisions and understanding when she has to play defense in addition to offense. She knows the strengths and weaknesses (of her teammates) and puts the ball in the spot where they can be successful.”
The Herald recently spoke with Lee about her soccer career, off-the-field interests and future plans:
How have you improved as a player since your freshman year?
Taking people on myself. I used to only pass and not dribble right at people. Now I’ve got more confidence in (dribbling).
When and how did you start playing soccer?
I didn’t want to play soccer, but my mom forced me to when I was 4 years old. I was nervous about meeting new people and making friends, and I wasn’t too stoked about the whole running idea. But I ended up loving it. I’ve always had a goal of playing in college, and I’m working toward that goal. I still have a love-hate relationship with running, though. I hate to run, but I love that it helps me to improve on what I need to get better at.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your soccer career so far?
I moved to a new club team (for my sixth-grade year), and I didn’t fit in. There were a lot of cliques, I had no friends and I lost confidence. I had to get over that and realize that I didn’t have to be part of a group (to succeed), even though everyone wants to fit in.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
I always thought I was bad at math until I got to high school, and now that I’ve focused on it more, I understand it more, and I’m all right at it. I’m also taking a ceramics class this year, and I enjoy that. I like manipulating the clay with my hands, and I get to draw designs and stuff.
What are you doing when you’re not on the field or at school?
Homework. I don’t really have a lot of free time, so I’m usually doing homework or hanging out with my boyfriend or my family.
Do you have a college picked out yet?
I started (the recruiting process) freshman year. I’ve been going to showcase tournaments and e-mailing colleges. Right now I’ve kind of got it narrowed down to Western Washington University and Central Washington University.
What would you like to study in college?
I want to be a third-grade teacher, so I’ll study education. The third grade was probably my favorite year in school. I had an awesome teacher, made a lot of friends and had fun experiences. I think I’ll be good with kids. We’ll see.
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