Owensboro Catholic’s Abby Payne recently signed to continue her soccer career at the college level as a Panther at KWC. The goalkeeper finished her final season with the Lady Aces this past Fall where her 89 saves and 8 shutouts throughout the season helped them reach the district championship game. Across her four years with OCHS, her overall record is 58-30.
Signing with KWC was the moment Payne’s dreams came true as she has aspired to play collegiate soccer at a high level since she was young, she said.
“It means the world to me,” she said. “I had always dreamed of playing collegiate soccer when I was younger, and now I’m about to fulfill that dream. All the time and effort I’ve put into academics and soccer has helped me realize my goal of playing college soccer at a high level.”
Payne was drawn to KWC due to the close-knit environment of the campus and team. Her soccer career has also already allowed her to cross paths with and build a relationship with the coaches.
“I chose to play at KWC because of the close-knit environment the campus and team has,” she said. “It was also easy to choose because I already have a relationship with Coach Stauffer, and used to play with some of the other players.”
In the months leading up to her college debut, Payne said she will be preparing for the new season by continuing to play competitive soccer as well training on her own. Her plan for academics also revolves around her love for soccer as she plans to major in fitness and sports management so that she can achieve her dream of becoming a high-level soccer coach later in life.
Payne said she is happy she’s able to attend college in her hometown so that her family can easily attend and support her at her games.
“I’ll be able to have my family come and support me at home games, as well as knowing how close they are if a problem appears or if I need help with college,” she said. “It’ll also mean I won’t have to struggle with homesickness and I can see my cat more!”
With her days of playing high school soccer behind and a new challenge at the collegiate level approaching, Payne looked back on what she will miss about her time with the Lady Aces.
“One of the things I’m going to miss the most is hearing my dad announce all the home games I’ve ever played,” she said. “He’s only missed one or two in my four years. It’s going to be weird not hearing him anymore. I’m also going to miss playing with girls that I’ve been in school with for 12 years. Playing with them every year and then not at all is going to be weird for a little bit.”
