NEW — 11:23 a.m. Jan. 6, 2016
Mount Si alum Karli White has superb season at Seattle University
Karli White was a standout soccer player for the Mount Si Wildcats during her senior year in 2014.
This year, as a forward for Seattle University, she did more of the same.
White led the Class 4A KingCo Conference in goals and assists in 2014 and was named MVP. If she continues performing like she did during her freshman year for Seattle, she may add another MVP trophy to her resume.
White scored nine goals and had seven assists, attempted 52 shots and made six game-winning goals in her first season with the Redhawks. She was listed at No. 67 among the top 100 college freshmen in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com. She made the All-Western Athletic Conference first team and the WAC All-Tournament team.
“I am proud of the way that I played this season and the stats that I put up,” White said. “Again, I’m just glad that I could contribute to the team and I made an impact because I was so worried, coming in as a freshman. It’s really intimidating.”
The Seattle University coaches welcomed her and she said that made the transition very easy. She has a good rapport with her teammates, one of whom is her roommate. The chemistry must have worked, because on the field, the Redhawks had a fantastic season.
They lost twice in their first three matches, but then ripped off a 13-game winning streak, the longest in the country, which took them to the WAC tournament title game where they lost to Utah Valley. They finished 14-3-3 overall and 8-0-2 in the WAC.
“I can’t believe it’s over already,” White said. “That went by really fast. It was a great season. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”
White will spend the rest of the offseason practicing with the team, staying in shape and keeping her skills sharp. The team will have a spring season later in the year.
White said she has adapted and learned a lot during her freshman year.
“It was challenging, for sure,” she said. “College soccer is a lot different than high school or club.”
The speed of play has been one of the most difficult adjustments, she said. The game is faster and more physical, and early on in the season, she said, she was exhausted and a step behind everyone else.
“It’s a whole other level,” she said.
Her experience in club soccer and at Mount Si gave her some tools that helped her succeed at Seattle. She said she had different roles on her club team compared to her high-school team. Playing for Mount Si made her a better distributor for other players, and she became a better teammate and leader.
“High school helped me build confidence,” she said.
She brought that with her to the Redhawks. As a freshman, she set an example with her strong work ethic.
“I think I was a pretty good leader on the field,” White said.
Originally, White was committed to the University of Arkansas. But as a senior she began to reconsider. She said she really liked Arkansas, but it was too far away.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to leave my family,” she said.
Her family went to all her games in Seattle this season.
As excellent as her freshman year was, White says there is still room for improvement. She’s looking to keep her streak of outstanding play going.
“I’m still learning,” she said. “I’m still growing, so I hope next season is even better than this season. But I’m glad this season went the way it did, for sure.”
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