Ferris senior goalkeeper Rachel McCollum has made a major impression on all of her teammates and coaches.
McCollum has not only been a standout on the field, but has maintained a high GPA in the pharmacy program.
Ferris head coach Andy McCaslin has never been more impressed with a player’s attention to detail and willingness to push themselves to an uncomfortable level in order to succeed.
“As a student, Rachel manages a tremendous course load in the pharmacy school with a high GPA,” McCaslin said. “She is able to balance school with a great deal of time spent on the field with the team and by herself at individual training sessions.”
McCollum has stood between the pipes for nearly 3,000 minutes in the past two seasons alone, and she is the top goaltender in team history in almost every statistical category.
She is also accessible to those teammates on and off the field who leads by example and is extremely approachable about explaining drills or help on homework.
McCollum does her best to keep not only her own goals on track, but also does her best to help all of her teammates with all of their problems.
“Rachel is one of those genuine people you can’t help but love,” Ferris junior midfielder Stephanie Garland said. “We can always count on her to show up to practice with a positive attitude and 110 percent effort, regardless of her really busy schedule.”
Battling all of the challenges that come with playing a sport while in college, McCollum would never change her decision of playing college soccer.
“Work hard both academically and athletically when in high school because both are important factors when thinking about playing a sport in college,” McCollum said.
McCollum’s biggest goals for her senior year include making it into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history as well as spending more time enjoying the camaraderie that comes with playing on a women’s soccer team.
“What makes me work even harder is knowing it is my last chance to play soccer competitively with a great group of girls,” McCollum said. “Since I know we have the potential as a team to do well this season, I want to do the best that I can for all of the other girls.”
The Bulldogs will kickoff their first game against Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisc. Sept. 5 at 1:15 p.m.