STARKVILLE — One role isn’t enough for Tiffany Evans.
That’s why Evans talked with Starkville Academy girls soccer coach Robert Gardner during her junior season about taking on a bigger role. Evans was playing a variety of positions at the time, but she wanted to do more, so she asked Gardner if she could return to a position she played with her Challenge soccer team. Gardner explained that a move to the midfield would demand more from her, but she as up to the challenge.
“Tiffany is a very technically gifted player, but she also is a very hard-working player,” Gardner said. “She is a class kid and a very good soccer player. I think nothing but the world of her. She is a player who has steadily improved in the three years she has been with me.”
Evans’ maturation was evident Wednesday when she signed a National Letter of Intent and a grant in aid scholarship to play soccer at the University of North Alabama in Florence, Ala.
“I visited a few other places, but I didn’t really like them as much as I thought I would,” Evans said. “It is a combination of things. The program is really successful, the campus is really nice, it is not too small, it is not too far away from home.”
Evans helped anchor the midfield the past season and a half for the Lady Volunteers. Evans, who had been playing left back, said she didn’t have anything against being a defender, but that she preferred a dual role of attacking and defending. Her role as a defensive midfielder gave her both responsibilities.
“It was kind of difficult at first because you are in the center so you’re going to get pressured really quickly,” Evans said. “You also have a lot of help and a lot of people to work off of, which is why I like it.”
Evans didn’t know if her development as a midfielder would allow her to play soccer in college. She said she suspected she would be able to play at a junior college and didn’t anticipate taking the next step to a four-year school.
Gardner said Evans played defender in her first year with him as coach. He said Evans has a variety of skills that made her a talented high school player and that should allow her to transition to the next level.
“She is one of those players if you spend 10 minutes talking with her you can tell she loves the game of soccer,” Gardner said. “She believed in herself to play as a central player. Just the technical ability she has, I don’t think it was a stretch for her to get there. I wanted her to improve in some areas. Her vision improved, her fitness improved, and her ability to make quick decisions improved. All of those things you have to have when you are playing in the middle of the field.”
Starkville Academy Athletic Director Glenn Schmidt spoke highly of Evans before the signing, saying Evans is a “blue-collar” player that any coach would love. Gardner echoed Schmidt’s assessment and praised the work Evans put in to move from defender to central midfielder.
Evans said having fun has been a key to her development. She said she has kept a positive mind-set about her performance that has allowed her to realize the opportunity to play soccer in college.
In September 2012, the UNA Board of Trustees pushed the school’s athletic program’s first transition year from Division I to Division II to 2014. It has targeted the first year of Division I competition as the 2018-19 season, according to a report in The Times Daily (Florence, Ala.).
Evans will play for new coach Chris Walker, who was hired to replace Graham Winkworth, who left to take the coaching job at the University of South Alabama. Winkworth guided UNA to a 111-81-8 record in the past 10 seasons, including trips to the Division II regional tournaments each of the past four seasons. UNA finished 13-6-1 this past season. Walker is a former assistant coach at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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