Kennedy Soliday Continues Winning Ways at Virginia Wesleyan University

Photo courtesy of Janet Green.

Since she was a little girl, playing the game of soccer has meant the world to Kennedy Soliday. Her best friends and her biggest role models have come from being associated with the game. The game has cemented itself as a part of her identity, but just a short time ago, she was unsure if getting back on the pitch was worth it or not.

After all, she suffered one of the most catastrophic injuries in sports; a torn labrum in the hip. In some cases, athletes never return to their old selves. If they do, it can take up to a few years. This is the injury that’s limited former NBA All-Star, Isaiah Thomas, since departing Boston. He’s never quite been the same and now at his age, never will.

After suffering through the pain for most of her junior year at Norwin, she decided she better get her hip examined after the season. It was then she discovered this injury, something that made her think that maybe it was time to solely focus on the next chapter in her life. But, there was one man who said that would be a massive mistake.

This was Virginia Wesleyan Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Jeff Bowers. Having verbally committed to the Marlins already post high school, he was not quick to give up on the All-WPIAL selection.

“I was on the fence about playing college soccer again, but Coach Bowers told me I deserved to play and should come back from this. I had surgery in February of 2020 and then COVID happened. It helped me focus almost solely on my rehab.”

Photo courtesy of Janet Green.

Soliday returned for her senior year and continued a stretch of playing for solid Norwin Lady Knights teams. As a freshman and sophomore, the program was ranked nationally and even won a state championship in her freshman season. Soliday finished her high school career with three varsity letters, two All-Section nods, an All-WPIAL selection, a team captain title, and over 40 career goals scored.

“I can sum it up as such an amazing overall experience,” said Soliday about playing at Norwin. “I learned so kind about myself and soccer from playing there and getting to play so deep into the state playoffs several times. I’m really thankful for what I was a part of.”

Photo courtesy of Janet Green.

Since coming to Virginia Wesleyan in the fall of 2021, she’s been a part of two Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) titles, two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and a trip to the NCAA Final Four earlier this school year. The Marlins were awarded the hosts for the opening two games and proceeded to play all of their NCAA Tournament games in the state of Virginia. While the program came up short in their ultimate goal of an NCAA title, this season proved that despite just an enrollment of 1,600 students, this teams vaunted and debuting 4-1-3-2 formation was something those throughout the country would fear. Heck, even Division I programs couldn’t figure it out!

Fortunately, the program returns many key players and could be poised for another solid run in conference and nationally. As for Soliday, she hopes her role will also grow in her junior season, as well. So far in her career, she’s played in 15 games, including 9 in the 2022 campaign.

Playing on the biggest state in all of Division III was something she always dreamed of and something she had been preparing to do for years. Playing for Northern Steel on the club circuit, and later the merged team of Century-Steel, she traveled throughout the United States to play against some of the best teams and players the country had to offer. Through this, she also grew her relationship with Blair Gerlach, someone she still regularly trains with during the off months.

“He’s been a coach to me since I was 12 years old. The hour drive to get to club practices were worth it and I still make trips to train and see him when I get back home. He’s always been there for me.”

In the classroom, Soliday has started to discover her passions in business. Specifically, she’s interested in management and will be completing a management trainee internship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car this summer. These experiences often lead to full-time employment with the company, and if her passion is not in automotive after all, Enterprise is known to be one of the best trainers of employees in the business world according to various studies and reports.

Overall, life is pretty good for Kennedy Soliday at this point. She’s playing for a ranked soccer program, is starting to figure out her future, she has a solid core of people around, and she even lives in Virginia Beach. Though Irwin and the Greater Pittsburgh area has a special place in her heart, moving south has brought so much joy to her life in these two years, but even brighter days are on the horizon.

Photo courtesy of Janet Green.