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Small in Stature Wilson, Long on heart 9/29/2004 Article by Jordan Mamorsky, Vanderbilt Sports Weekly TV During her four years at Vanderbilt, Molly Wilson has been a consistent force for the women’s soccer team. Starting as a freshman, Molly has used her quickness and agility to bedevil the opposition. In her fourth year, Wilson finds herself as one of two seniors who look to add leadership to a young squad. Starting the season with a 2-5-1 record, the Women’s soccer team has had a frustrating beginning to the 2005 year. With tough opposition such as Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, the team has come up on the short end of the stick more often than not. However, Wilson is confident that the team can bounce back as they did with a stirring 2-1 victory over SEC rival LSU this past weekend. “I am hoping that we are peaking at the right time” Wilson said. We just need to continually work hard and not get down, if we loose a game here or there, to know that the season is more of a marathon than a sprint”. It is this positive, optimistic attitude that has served as an example for younger players on the team. Wilson feels that she has been put in a leadership role out of necessity, being one of only two seniors on the team. “I think I’ve kind of been forced into a leadership role as a senior, with their only being two of us” Wilson said. “The freshmen are all looking to the upperclassmen and we have to provide an example for them and step into more of a leadership role. As a senior, I try to set an example for all the freshman and the underclassmen, the only thing I can do is use my experience as a player over the past three years to prepare everyone for the season.” Wilson has reason to be optimistic as the Dores opened up SEC play with a hotly contested 2-1 televised loss to Arkansas and a 2-1 double overtime thrilling victory over LSU. The team has risen to the occasion and is beginning to play with more fire and intensity. As a senior, Wilson wants to make this season count, “I think we need to play with a little more intensity, and I think well get some more wins in there”. At 5’4 Wilson has always used her quickness and endurance to her advantage. Manning the midfield position as Wilson does, takes a great deal of endurance as you are asked to play offense and defense. Wilson has risen to the challenge and as a three year starter, has been in the top five for attempted shots on the team. Throughout her Vanderbilt career, Wilson has tried to make plays for her team but realizes that this year, with so many underclassmen on the team, she has to try to put the ball in the back of the net a little more. “I consider myself more of a playmaker than a goal scorer but I need to be more of a goal scorer right now” Wilson said. Wilson is excited about the year and is hoping to garner more support from the Vanderbilt community. She knows that more Vandy fans in the stands can often be the deciding factor in close games, “I’d love to get more people out to our games” Wilson said. “We get a bit more excited when we get a lot of people out there; it’s a pretty infectious environment. It would be great to make people more aware” In her four years at Vanderbilt Wilson has always been a force to be reckoned with on the field for the Dores. What has powered her as been a tremendous will to win, despite often being overmatched against bigger and stronger opponents? It is this tenacious determination that has led to her success at Vanderbilt and will hopefully lead the team to success this season. |
