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East Jessamine's Devon Burnside and Carlie Harrison looked out at the applauding crowd after signing their letters of intent to play soccer at Campbellsville University on Friday, March 22. (Photo by Cody Porter/cporter@jessaminejournal.com / March 22, 2013) |
The coaching and guidance of former East Jessamine soccer head coach DeAngelo Wiser again yielded Campbellsville University a newly signed pair of Lady Jaguars.
Minutes after school let out following an untimely fire alarm, seniors Devon Burnside and Carlie Harrison put their name on the dotted line of paperwork to play their collegiate soccer for head coach Thomas Jones and the Campbellsville Tigers.
“Their coach spent a lot of time watching their club team, so it was sort of a natural fit,” Wiser said. “Somebody like him, who’s been around a while, you don’t have to watch some of these kids for very long to understand what they’re made of and what they can do. I think he saw right away that Carlie and Devon can fit into his plans and help his program be successful.”
The Lady Jags decision came largely in part to their shared interest in the school, which is allowing them to take their friendship beyond high school.
“They went for their visit together over there. They’re really close. You know, I think that will help them also,” Wiser said. “They’ll be there to support each other through their freshman year and get with the program, so to speak.”
“Since we are going to be so far from home we wanted something that we felt comfortable with and it played a big part to play together,” Harrison said.
Burnside said the Harrison’s decision to attend Campbellsville finalized her plans.
“Carlie making her decision to come with me kind of pushed everything to 100 percent wanting to go there because I’d have someone I know there,” Burnside said.
The two said during their visit that there wasn’t much they didn’t like, which sold them on playing for the Tigers. They each chose to play for Jones over attending St. Catharine College because the latter “wasn’t for us.”
“We went down there for a visit and we loved the atmosphere, we loved the people, and we loved what the coach was about,” Harrison said.
Harrison’s soccer career was put in question during the 2011 season when knee injuries forced her to the bench.
“She had to sit out and I think that really developed even more of a love for the game for her having to sit and watch,” Wiser said. “She was our sweeper. She anchored everything in the back and did a tremendous job with her leadership and skills, and we would not have been as successful without her in the back.”
Wiser credited Burnside’s offensive ability and attitude for having helped lead the Lady Jaguars during her high school career.
“Devon, if you want someone to take over a game, if you need a goal with a second left on the clock, she’s the person you want to have the ball,” Wiser said. “She scored 30 goals for us this year. She’s just done everthing we’ve asked and more. I look forward to her having a great year over at Campbellsville.”
The Tigers ended their 2012 season with a 7-2 record overall, and 11-9-1 in Mid-South Conference play.
Their season came to a conclusion with a loss in the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Championship game at Finley Stadium in Campbellsville.
