By MATT COX – SPORTS SECTION EDITOR
Senior forward Anne Mitchell has been an integral part of Centre Women’s Soccer’s (CWS) success during her years at Centre. Recently she was named the Southern Athletic Association (SAA)’s Player of the Week for her performance against conference foes Birmingham Southern College (BSC) on Oct. 24 and Millsaps College (Millsaps) on Oct. 26.
Mitchell scored once in the Colonels’ 3-0 victory over BSC and tallied two goals in the game against Millsaps.
She currently leads the team this season with nine goals, seven assists, and 25 total points (goals are worth two points and assists are worth one).
Mitchell also ranks in the top five players in the SAA for goals and points. Soccer has always been an important part of Mitchell’s life and played an essential role in bringing her to Centre.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was three or four. I fell in love at a young age and I’ve always enjoyed it. I actually found out about Centre through the soccer coach [Jay Hoffman] and I decided it was a good fit all around,” Mitchell said.
The SAA has recognized Mitchell for her excellent play throughout her Centre career. She was named an All-Conference player as a first-year and sophomore.
During her sophomore season, Mitchell gained national recognition and was named to the Great Lakes Region Second Team.
She has gained the respect of the other members of CWS, as well as the coaches. Mitchell was elected by her teammates to be a co-captain her senior year.
“Anne looks at the team with a bigger picture mentality,” Assistant Coach Jessica Chiesely said. “She considers what’s best for the team.”
Mitchell notes the changes in her life due to becoming a captain of CWS.
“I feel like I’ve grown as a person through having been captain and dealing with coaches. It’s added to the Centre experience,” Mitchell said.
Coming to Centre with admirable skills, Mitchell’s game has continued to steadily improve. Her sharpened skills have contributed to this year’s team’s 12-5-1 record.
“Her knowledge of the game has improved, She’s one of the hardest working players at Centre, and has developed into a natural leader,” Head Coach Jay Hoffman said.
On Fri., Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. the fourth seed Centre will host the fifth seed BSC in the SAA Conference tournament.
The winner of that game will play the winner of the one seed Berry College and the eight seed Millsaps College on Sat., Nov. 8 at 12:00 p.m. If the two higher seeded teams win, Centre will look to avenge their 3-0 loss to Berry College earlier this year.
A Behavioral Neuroscience major and Mathematics minor, Mitchell is heavily involved on campus as well. She is the president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa, Omega, and Psi Chi Honor Societies, and a member of the Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology Club. She has also found time to travel abroad.
“I’ve gone abroad twice: Once was a trip to Sweden with my high school team, and the second one was a trip to Ireland in 2012 with CWS,” Mitchell said.
The three-time member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All Academic Team has aspirations that reach beyond her success on the field and in the classroom at Centre.
Mitchell is currently in the process of applying to Xavier University, Pfeiffer University, and the University of Colorado to obtain a Master’s Degree in Health Administration. She will meet this new challenge with the same passion to succeed that she has in all areas of her life.
“She is the type of person you know will do well no matter what they do. I think she came in [to Centre] with a purpose, and always had in mind what the path is going to be,” Chiesly said.
Whatever the future may hold for Mitchell, she will continue to represent Mother Centre with the class, integrity, and leadership that she has shown during her time on campus.