This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
02/08/2017 11:00 PMValley Regional senior Sydney Lee has an extensive soccer résumé. Sydney started with the sport at age four and, six years later, she was playing on a Premier league team. When she was 14, Sydney moved up to the National Premier League (NPL), where she competed among some of the state’s elite players in her age group. Before she came to Valley as a freshman, Sydney had already been contacted by two Division I college coaches: Yale University’s Rudy Meredith and Fairfield University assistant coach Stuart Dick.
Sydney recently signed on to continue her soccer career at Southern Connecticut University, and she appreciates how all her experience playing against top-notch competition has helped her reach this point in her career.
“That is an insane level of soccer,” says Sydney on the caliber of play in the NPL. “My skills have progressed a whole lot and I can clearly just see the difference in the level of play that I’ve been able to do, and it’s definitely carried over to my high school seasons and being able to help lead the team.”
Sydney’s advanced soccer skills earned her a four-year starting role on Valley’s varsity girls’ soccer squad. While her freshman and sophomore seasons were impressive, Sydney really hit her stride during her junior year, when she won the Warriors’ Coaches Award and was recognized as an All-Shoreline Conference Second Team athlete.
When Lloyd Warren became Valley’s head coach for Sydney’s senior year, he could tell right away that he had a special talent after working with Sydney during preseason camp.
“During those short spells of working with Sydney, I saw the talent and desire of a player with the opportunity to go far in the game,” Warren says. “A key reason for coming on board with the Valley Regional team last year was to work with quality players who have a desire to go far in soccer, and Sydney definitely falls into that category.”
Sydney faced a setback last April, when she tore a meniscus while competing for Valley’s outdoor track team. Typically, such a serious injury would hinder an athlete’s ability to perform at the highest level. Instead, Sydney continued elevating her game in her senior year and had her most dominant high school season. Sydney, who was primarily an attacking center midfielder, was named the Warriors’ Offensive Player of the Year, made the All-Shoreline First Team, and was an Honorable Mention for the Hartford Courant’s All-Courant Team. She was also named All-State, becoming the first female soccer player from Valley Regional since 2009 to earn that recognition.
“I went to physical therapy for it, but it never really helped,” says Sydney of her injury. “I thought to myself, ‘There is no way I’m missing my senior year.’...I did a lot better than I thought I was going to do.”
For her career, Sydney recorded 34 goals and 28 assists. As a senior, she netted 13 goals and handed out six assists. Coach Warren was pleased to see Sydney overcome her injury and make her final high school season her best.
“Sydney earning All-Shoreline First Team and All-State were no coincidence and many other opponent coaches shared my thoughts about Sydney’s positive impact on the Shoreline Conference during her high school career,” says Warren. “This was honor well deserved for her.”
As a team, Valley had a few ups and downs during Sydney’s senior season, hitting a slump at the midway point. Sydney and her fellow seniors knew they had to make sure everyone was motivated in order for the Warriors to turn things around. Valley wound up qualifying for both postseason tournaments, earning a 1-0 victory versus Morgan in the Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
“I kept trying to hype the team up and, every day before a game, we would go into the locker room and blast music and try to get hyped up for our next game,” says Sydney.
Valley’s seniors also arranged what was the called “the circle,” where they would pass the ball around to each other and discuss what they needed to work on. Coach Warren credits Sydney for how she used her personality to keep her teammates upbeat.
“Sydney has a bubbly personality and was always the one player getting the team in good spirits before a big game,” he says. “The confidence Sydney brought to the team was huge and helped us to have some great games throughout the season.”
One of those great games came in that 1-0 win versus Morgan in the Shoreline quarters. Sydney says it was one of the hardest-fought matches the Warriors ever played, and it avenged a defeat to the Huskies in the previous year’s conference tournament.
“I can’t remember a time when we beat Morgan in my four years of playing,” says Sydney. “It was funny because we wanted to win that game so bad, we went to the game with face paint...Everyone was so hyped for that game. We went out there and we beat them and we went so hard against them...I think it was our best game, definitely.”
With only a few months left of high school, Sydney will soon turn her sights to Southern Connecticut State University as she has committed to play soccer at the Division II school starting this fall. Coach Warren has no doubts that Sydney has what it takes to excel in college.
“Sydney has the skill level and personality all top coaches are looking for in a player and she has dedicated so much time to being the best player she can be over these years. Sydney has given herself the best opportunity for success at the college level,” Warren says. “The Valley Regional girls’ soccer program will continue to support Sydney as she makes this next step in her soccer career and we hope to be supporting her on the sidelines this fall. We wish her the best of luck.”