FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University junior women’s soccer reserve goalkeeper Shelby Hall|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) is this week’s Longwood Female Athlete of the Week. She played 43:37 in front of the net for the Lancers against Liberty University on October 27 during a double-overtime Big South Women’s Soccer Championship quarterfinal match that went to a decisive shootout won by the hosts. Hall, who had replaced an injured Kyra Byron just 1:23 into the contest, played the remainder of the first half (43:37) and finished with one save and no goals allowed. She re-entered for the shootout after watching the second half and extra periods and promptly stopped the first two PK attempts by Liberty, while the third attempt hit the crossbar as Longwood secured its semifinal berth via the shootout, 3-0.
Question and Answer Session with Shelby Hall and Bethany Drury
BD: How did you feel about playing in Longwood’s first ever Big South Conference Tournament game?
SH: Being able to be a part of such a huge game was exciting, especially for the seniors. After we won we were all crying and excited. It was really emotional and very special.
BD: Do you have any pregame rituals?
SH: I warm up with Kyra every game; she’s the senior goalkeeper. We do all of our warmups together.
BD: Did you do anything differently to prepare for the Big South quarterfinal?
SH: For this particular match, we did penalty kicks in practice all week. We knew this was going to be a close game so we practiced them everyday leading up to this game, which ended up really helping us.
BD: How do you get in the zone for defending a penalty kick?
SH: Actually I am a fan of them. I played the first half in the quarterfinal game and I was more nervous to go in for the first half than I was for the penalty kicks just because there’s so much more that can go wrong in play and so many little things that factor into it. Penalty kicks are so straight forward. There’s just one ball and one girl and all you can do is attempt to save it. My whole game is really reactionary and I’m quick off my feet, so straight forward shots like that are what I think I’m better at.
BD: Why did you decide to play college soccer?
SH: I came into college and didn’t play my freshman year. I was recruited here and a couple other colleges, but I was so wiped out from playing on four different teams my senior year. It took me about three or four weeks before I got really bored. I worked and did normal college things and I had way too much free time, so my sophomore year I went and talked to the coaches and they remembered who I was and my position and the tapes I sent them. They allowed me to re-try out for the team in the spring and luckily they had the spot for me and still wanted me to play so I was able to get on the team my sophomore year.
BD: Who is your favorite athlete?
SH: I have two. Oliver Conn is a big German goalkeeper and he is the best. For women it’s Hope Solo. She’s the U.S. goalkeeper and she’s just insanely good.
BD: What is your favorite Longwood tradition?
SH: I like the Chi burnings that they do, when we get to see what seniors are in Chi. I’m really excited this year because I’m a senior so I get to see who in my class is in it. I also like the Halloween stories that they do each year.
BD: Are you involved in anything else on campus?
SH: I’m an English secondary education major and we kind of have our own little group. Especially this semester, we’re all doing teaching placements, so the English secondary education people are all really tight.
BD: Do you have any interests besides soccer?
SH: I ride horses. I show through the summers. My parents play tennis, so I go support them and watch them. I’m not very good at it, but I like to go with them because it’s fun. I also coach during the summer.
BD: Why did you decide to be a goalkeeper?
SH: I think it just kind of happened when I was younger. I was always really tall and the coaches are predisposed to putting the tallest kid in goal. I started with it and just really liked it. They always say you have to be a certain kind of crazy to be a goalkeeper, to stand in front of these soccer balls that are being kicked so hard at you. I stuck with it and I’ve been doing it for ten years now.
BD: What is your favorite movie?
SH: My favorite movie is The Lion King, but my favorite new movie is Pitch Perfect. My entire team loves it. We listen to the soundtrack before games.
BD: What is your favorite song?
SH: Right now, it’s a song called Anna Sun by Walk the Moon. They’re an up and coming band.
BD: What is your favorite book?
SH: The Harry Potter series. I’m obsessed with it. I’m writing my senior thesis on it.
BD: What is your favorite thing about Longwood Soccer?
SH: The girls on the team, especially this year. They are all such wonderful people, who want nothing more than to keep going with this tournament. The entire atmosphere is fantastic. You don’t want to be away from these girls ever. They’re all happy and excited and all want to be a part of the same thing, which makes us all really close.
BD: Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
SH: Just keep a positive attitude.
