PEMBROKE — Over three seasons at Purnell Swett, Layla Locklear added to her game to fill a niche for the girls soccer program.
With the mixture of her speed and a steady left foot, the Purnell Swett senior has led the team in assists over the last two seasons to help the program reach new heights during her career. Through that, she was able to reach one of her goals in the sport on Wednesday when she signed to play at the next level with Salem College.
“It’s something that I’ve been working on since I started soccer,” Locklear said. “It’s always been my goal, but I know that this isn’t where it stops. It’s where it starts.”
The signing is the third for the program, with all three girls signing to play college soccer within the last three years; during the past three years, the program has progressively posted more wins than the year prior.
“She knew what she needed to improve on and that’s what good players do,” Purnell Swett coach Alaric Strickland said. “She’s improved every year she has been here in my book. She tries to work on something each and every year and last year she wanted to focus on getting up her teammates and that’s what she did.”
Locklear posted a school record and conference-best 23 assists last year with a pair of goal-scoring machines at the top of the Lady Rams’ formation, but as she enters her senior year, she wants to call her own number more. Locklear also said that Wednesday’s signing will make things less stressful in a busy senior year on the field in the spring.
“Since I’ve been playing in high school I said I wanted to sign before the season starts that way I can get one thing done and I can work on other things,” Locklear said.
Through three years, Locklear has tallied 21 goals, seven each season, in 61 games.
With 10 or more wins this season, Locklear’s class could be the first to post double-digit win totals for all four seasons. After 12 wins in back-to-back years, the senior class has a new season-high in wins set for this season.
“When me and Abi (Lowry) came as eighth graders we said we wanted to change the program all the way around. I feel like looking back as seniors now we see how much we really have changed,” Locklear said. “As freshmen we were nervous and didn’t have the best attitude and now everyone has a great attitude when we come to practice and games.”
Salem with its small size was a perfect fit for Locklear. The Spirit are currently 9-5-1 this season and play in the USA South Conference which includes nearby Methodist University.
“When I went, the whole soccer team was nice and it was like they welcomed me in,” Locklear said. “I feel like I can help with my speed, foot skills and my assists.”
