This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time.”
Kelly Carlisle has reached the finish line. Carlisle, a Callaway High graduate, is putting the finishing touches on what has been a fantastic career as a soccer player at Point University. Carlisle arrived at Point’s West Point campus in the fall of 2018, hoping to make an instant impact after excelling at Callaway in soccer and softball. Carlisle made it happen. Carlisle finished her freshman season with a team-leading seven goals, including three game-winners.
KELLY CARLISLE
Carlisle had three goals as a sophomore while continuing to be a critical part of the offensive attack, and she had five goals during her junior season and was the only Point player to earn a spot on the Appalachian Athletic Conference all-conference team. Carlisle is having an exceptional senior season, leading the team in scoring, and she’ll leave Point with
more than 20 career goals.
Carlisle isn’t the only former Callaway player on the Point roster.
Carlisle had two goals in a win at St. Andrews on Sept. 12, and she had goals in back-to-back games later that month.
Ashley Bowden, a sophomore, is a defender who has played in a handful of games this season.
Carlisle signed with Point in part because she felt it would be a family-type atmosphere, and she’s pleased that it worked out that way.
Like Carlisle, Bowden enjoyed the close-knit atmosphere when she visited Point and spent time around the coaches and players.
“The first day I went, my freshman year, I could tell is going to be a family thing,” Carlisle said. “I knew we were going to be really close. We hang out every day, on the field, and off the field. We have dinner with each other. We’ve made really close friendships.”
“When I went there, everyone was super-nice, and I felt at home and comfortable,” Bowden said when she signed. “Sometimes you go to college and feel a little out of place, but I didn’t feel out of place at all.”
Another appealing aspect of Point is its proximity to home, meaning Carlisle always has a healthy cheering section in the stands. “It’s been great being able to have my family come,” Carlisle said. “They’re my biggest supporters, and having them really helps my nerves, too. My mom (Kristy Reynolds), she’s my number one supporter.”
When Carlisle was a junior and Bowden was a sophomore, Callaway won the first state-tournament game in program history, and those two helped the team win another state game in 2018.
time and effort to achieve his objective of being a college soccer player. “This is something I’ve been working toward for a long time, since I started playing for (Mike) Petite when I was a freshman,” White said. “I played on (junior varsity) my freshman year, and I’ve worked my way up since then. I didn’t think this would be possible, but it worked out, it happened. I always worked for it, I never put my head down, and now I’m here.” Petite saw the work White put in to achieve his goals, and he told him “your desire is something I have rarely seen in a player. You want so much, and it’s not for you. It’s for the team, and it’s for the program. Your willingness to want and work is why you got this opportunity.”
There is also a Callaway presence on the men’s team at Point. John Will White is a freshman goal keeper at Point, and he put in a lot of
Photo: Kevin Eckleberry
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