MONROE, La. --- When the ULM women's soccer team's senior forward Allison Matson takes to the field for her final match on Friday she will be writing the final chapter to a book that could have easily been left unfinished. Matson's story for the Warhawks can best be described as one of desire, determination and drive.
Matson came to ULM after a successful prep career at Brighton High School in Michigan where she was a two-time All-State selection and averaged 10 goals and 17 assists per season.
Showing great potential as freshman in 2003, Matson played in all 21 matches for ULM and tallied one assist. The 5-9 forward from Pinckney, Mich. spent the off season following her first collegiate year preparing for her sophomore campaign only to be forced from the field and into an academic red shirt.
Matson spent that season watching from the sidelines as her team posted the school's first ever 14-win season and advanced to the finals of the Southland Conference Tournament where they were defeated in overtime by top-seeded Texas State, 1-0. Many would be disheartened by this turn of events, sighting misfortune or bad luck, but Matson worked harder and longer on and off the field to prepare for her next season.
Entering her sophomore campaign Matson was slated as one of the starting forwards for the Warhawks only to see her season cut short by a torn ACL only 18 minutes in. Matson was again forced to the sidelines to watch as her teammates posted a 9-9-2 record and fell in the conference tournament's opening round.
"Everything happens for a reason," Matson said. "I learned so much from both experiences. They helped teach me to not take things for granted. I love soccer and my team and I worked harder in my rehab and on my grades. I vowed that I would never be in that position again."
That determination has paid off for her. On Sept. 5, 2006, a full three years after she began her collegiate career, Matson connected on her first goal for the Warhawks. Matson finished the year with four goals and added two assists to help ULM through its first season in the perennially difficult Sun Belt Conference.
Now in her senior season, Matson has her second-straight four goal season and has added one assist to lead the Warhawks in total points. Entering the year, she was named as one of the three team captains by her teammates.
Making up for lost time, Matson has eight career goals - all over the last two seasons - and is tied for 11th on the Warhawk career list. Her 20 career points entering her final match are the 12th-most at ULM.
"Having sat out those two years helped her realize the opportunity she had," ULM soccer head coach Stacy Lamb said. "Rarely would a lot of people come back after sitting out two years in a row. Not only did Allison come back, but she came back more determined to make an impact. Allison Matson's graduation will be the greatest loss that we have had since the inception of our program. Her personality on and off the field have made her indispensable."
Matson's college career is nearing its final chapter. The senior is scheduled to graduate from ULM in May of 2008 with a degree in aviation, following in the footsteps of her father to become a pilot. As observed by her coach of five years, he college soccer story is a complete one.
"Allison was behind the eight ball and came back," Lamb said. "To the coaching staff here and the people in our athletic department, she has become a friend. She just has that attitude that draws people to her. She came to us an immature, loud and funny freshman and is leaving an independent, strong woman who will be successful in everything she does."
At 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 the senior will take to the field at the ULM Soccer Complex for the final time when the Warhawks take on rival Louisiana-Lafayette. Having overcome so much in her five seasons in Monroe, La. Matson has the final chapter of her ULM story in front of her.
"It is a really big feeling of accomplishment," Matson said. "After last year I didn't want to stop playing. I was so glad that I had the extra year. This year is different. I feel like I can be comfortable with ending my soccer career. I'm not sure I would have it any other way. It is ending perfectly."
