CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Not long after Lexi Coull first stepped on the pitch and was bending shots into the back of the net, she formed another goal in her mind.
To play soccer at the college level.
It drove her through the long practices, the tedious work in drills to improve her skills, the hot days during training camp and the frigid afternoons late in the season playing in unpredictable elements for the Clarion Area girls soccer team, which welcomes Clarion-Limestone players like Coull into a co-op.
That dream she had all those years ago finally came true when Coull signed her national letter of intent to play soccer for the Clarion Golden Eagles.
“It feels very exciting because I thought about this since I was a little kid, going to camps and playing games at that stadium,” Coull said of PennWest Clarion’s Memorial Stadium. “Signing felt like the security and final piece of the decision making it all come together.”
Coull turned in the best season ever by a Clarion girls soccer player last fall, shattering school records and helping the Bobcats to a 12-6 record and a playoff berth.
The senior striker was a scoring machine, finding the back of the net 44 times, while also adding 15 assists.
The 44 goals scored is a school record. So is the 103 points she piled up.
“Going into it, it wasn’t my intention at all (to set the scoring record),” Coull said. “But I think it’s cool, and I had fun getting to that point with my team and best friends by my side, feeding me the ball.”
Coull had plenty of options other than the Golden Eagles.
In fact, Coull was close to signing at Pitt-Bradford before she decided to give PennWest Clarion another look, hoping to get one in return from the coaching staff as well.
“I decided to go to a Clarion camp,” she said. “After the Clarion camp, I got an offer and decided nothing would be more perfect for me than there.”
Coull started playing soccer when she was just four and her affinity for the sport only grew over the years.
She excels by blending speed, touch and a rare level of tenacity that was cultivated from playing with and against boys as she was growing up.
Coull got plenty of practice playing against her older brother, Austin, during summer workouts at Clarion-Limestone.
“The boys are aggressive, which gets me to be more aggressive and be able to take a hit,” Coull said last October. “They are a lot faster. My brother has experience, so he is able to give me insight on the game as he was a defender, so he can tell me how to play against the best defenders.”
Not easy to defend Coull, that’s for sure.
It helped she had talented teammates around her, like Alex Leadbetter, who was also a threat to score on the other side.
“Having great coaches growing up, each teaching me different parts of the game, helped me develop as a player,” Coull said. “Working hard and having so much support helped me do so well in high school to get this college opportunity.”
Coull plans on studying early childhood education.
“I love working with kids and I want them to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom and make a difference in their lives,” Coull said. “Summers off doesn’t sound too bad, either.”
Coull doesn’t take summers off now. She’s constantly honing her skills and knows she will need to work even harder to make an impact on the pitch at the next level.
She’s ready for the challenge. She’s eager for that grind.
“I want to learn and grow as a player,” Coull said. “I want to compete with greater competition and become a captain someday.”
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