By Marty Gordon
Two Blacksburg High soccer players who helped the team put together an undefeated season have committed to play at the next level.
Kylene Monaghan is headed to Sewanee College while Julia Howland will play at Greensboro College.
Monaghan said Sewanee had the right balance of high-quality academics and athletics that she was looking for.
“When I went on a recruiting visit, I really loved the campus and meeting the team and the coach, I knew this was a place that would fit me very well,” Monaghan said. “I received some academic scholarships as well, which really helped solidify the decision for my family in making the school a possibility and fulfilling my goal of playing soccer in college.”
Howland said Greensboro was just home for her.
Monaghan was tied for the scoring lead last year for Blacksburg with 16 goals and 10 assists. This season, she has put together 18 goals and 11 assists and was named to the River Ridge All-District first team.
Over four years at Blacksburg, Howland has scored 14 goals and has been a part of a squad that has scored over 100 goals in the regular season while allowing only three goals to their opponents.
Greensboro College is a private college in Greensboro, N.C., with about 1,000 students.
The school competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III and the USA-South Conference. The women’s soccer team finished 5-13-3 this past season.
In Sewanee, Tenn., Sewanee is known as the University of the South with an enrollment of 1,689
students. The athletic program is a member of the Southern Athletic Association in the Division III ranks.
Howland hopes to major in business administration with a concentration in management and
eventually to continue her culinary career and study abroad.
Monaghan plans to major in physics and will be pursuing the pre-engineering program that Sewanee has in partnership with Washington University in St Louis and Columbia University,
