The following feature was written specifically for ULMAthletics.com by the ULM sports information office. Any use of the following text, partial or otherwise, must give credit to www.ULMAthletics.com and the ULM Sports Information Department.
One of the biggest questions entering the 2006 season was who the ULM soccer team would get to replace four-year letterwinner Rachel Marcom in goal. Sophomore Mallory George answered the call, stepping in from Day 1 to guard the net for the Warhawks. In her freshman campaign, the Centennial, Colo., native paced the Sun Belt Conference in saves with 133, the fourth-highest single-season total in ULM history. George finished the year with a .801 save percentage, second in the league, and seven saves per match, good for 20th in the nation. In 19 starts, George posted three individual shutouts and combined for a fourth, the most by a freshman goalkeeper at ULM. George stopped by www.ULMathletics.com to fill us in on her summer and the upcoming season.
Fill us in on where you are, what you have been doing and how your summer is going?
So far I have been in Colorado since May with the exception of my family's vacation to New York City. For the most part I have just been working and relaxing with my friends and family. I am about to head back to ULM for a little summer school and to work out before season starts.
What is something you learned from the team's first year in the Sun Belt Conference?
I think I learned that playing soccer is a lot more than just winning and losing. For me, ULM's first season in the Sun Belt was my first season in college and I quickly learned that soccer influences every aspect of your life. I love soccer and that is why I like playing at ULM against the high level teams of the Sun Belt Conference.
What are your expectations and goals for yourself and the team in 2007?
I have a lot of goals for next season, but I think my main goal is to come out of my shell a little bit more as a sophomore. Last year, I felt a lot of pressure and everything was chaotic being a freshman, but I would like to bring out more of my personality and style in the way I play.
What have you been doing to reach your goals?
In order to reach my goals I have been playing with old teammates who tend to bring out the best of my playing abilities and also my strong personality. Hopefully, the way I have been playing throughout the summer will transfer over to my game in the fall.
Why did you choose ULM?
When I came to ULM for a visit, I immediately felt at home. The girls and the coaches on the team made me feel comfortable and welcome. I also love ULM's gorgeous campus and my apartment along with all of my teachers and classes. The overall feeling I got from just being at ULM made me realize that it was a good place for me.
Do you have any plans for the rest of your summer?
For the rest of the summer I am going to be back at ULM training for the fall and taking a summer class. Hopefully I can survive the Louisiana heat.
When you aren't playing soccer, what are you doing?
When I am not playing soccer I am most likely with my family. I have two younger brothers and I live with my parents. We are a pretty close family and we like to spend as much time as possible together, especially since I don't get to see them much throughout the school year.
Other than yourself, which of your teammates do you think will surprise people in 2007 and why?
Honestly, I think everyone has the potential to be surprising. I think the incoming freshmen will be a huge asset to our team, along with the upperclassmen who are constantly pushing our team and themselves. I can only hope that my class, the sophomore class will be the most surprising. I think as individuals we learned a lot during our first year and I think next year will give us the opportunity to prove ourselves to the rest of our team and show everyone what we are capable of.
What is your favorite soccer memory?
For my roommate and teammate Raydan [Phillips] this is probably not one of her favorite memories, but when we were younger our club teams had always been huge rivals and I hate to admit but Raydan's team (REAL Colorado) usually beat my team (Colorado Soccer Academy) in state cup. The year we played in the U18 state cup our teams played each other in the semis and ended up tying and going into a PK shootout. During the PK's I saved two kicks and helped my team win the game! It was great. We had been trying to do that for years and the fact that my individual effort was so crucial felt good, too.
What are you studying at ULM and why did you choose it? What do you want to do with your degree when you are done playing soccer?
I am majoring in Spanish. I chose Spanish because I am naturally pretty good at speaking and using the language and I really enjoy the Latin culture. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I still have a long time to figure that out.
