BY RORI EDDIE
Throughout
the 2001 Christian Brothers University women’s soccer season, her
name became synonymous with scoring goals. Her team became synonymous
with winning. At the end of the season, her name would become further
synonymous with accolades. She is Missy Gregg.
All told, Gregg’s season-ending 73 scores in 22 games became the
new standard for all Divisions (NCAA I, II and III). She accumulated an
NCAA record-breaking 156 points in 22 matches, and scored in an NCAA record-breaking
21 consecutive games.
Gregg broke her first record on October 23, as the 5’11” Centerville,
Ohio native netted her 46th goal of the season against Freed-Hardeman
to break the NCAA Division II goals-scored record. The previous record
was 45 goals scored in 20 matches. It took Gregg only 13 games to surpass
the old mark.
Beyond blatant statistics, Gregg’s powerful offensive presence on
the field helped guide the Lady Buccaneer soccer program to its first
appearance in NCAA post-season play, and to advance all the way to the
Division II Championships in San Diego.
The Lady Bucs fell in the finals to the Lady Tritons of the University
of California at San Diego, 2-0, but not before capturing the NCAA South
Region Championship and their second consecutive Gulf South Conference
Championship crown. The Lady Bucs finished the season with a 22-1 mark
overall, while Gregg would finish the 2001 campaign with a slew of post-season
accolades.
Most notably, Gregg was named the National Soccer Coaches Association
of America/Adidas Division II Women’s Soccer Player of the Year,
and was honored at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia this past January.
The theme for this year’s Convention was “Soccer: As Diverse
as Its People,” celebrating the global impact of the world’s
most popular sport and recognizing the rich tapestry of people and thought
that make up “The Beautiful Game.”
For her part in making soccer such a “beautiful game,” Gregg
also earned All-American status—becoming the first women’s soccer
All-American selection in CBU history. Her Player of the Year accolade
also marked a first in any sport in the university’s athletic history.
Finally, Gregg was unanimously voted as the Gulf South Conference Player
of the Year and a First-Team All-GSC selection. During the course of the
season, she was tabbed GSC Player of the Week a record-breaking six times.
“What more can I say about her season?” asks head coach Gareth
O’Sullivan. “Any accolade I can give her, she has already been
awarded.”
Gregg also worked very hard to epitomize the very definition of a student-athlete.
The junior psychology major maintained a 3.5 GPA, earning positions on
the CBU Dean’s List and the All-GSC Honor Roll.
Hard work is something Gregg has never shied away from. Her intense self-discipline
is displayed every day in the training room, as she rehabs the torn ACL
she suffered in the NCAA Championship game.
Her hard work, a stirring testimony to her work ethic, pays off. Gregg
will return to the field this summer for her second year as a member of
the Memphis Mercury, a W-2 development team for the United States Soccer
League. The Mercury will kick off their 2002 season on May 11 at the Mike
Rose Soccer Complex, when Memphis will play host to the Kansas City Mystics.
“We expect her time with the Mercury to only sharpen her for our
season,” adds O’Sullivan. “We hope she can put up the same
type of numbers for us in the fall.”
Gregg will rejoin her Lady Buc teammates in the early fall. The 2002 season
will open with an exhibition match against Arkansas State University on
August 25.
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