Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - For the 2020 season, the Virginia Tech women's soccer program will feature 10 new players, who have all been announced previously in our "Get-to-Know" series. However, three of those newcomers had already arrived on campus, had been working out with the team and are still taking classes as they enrolled early at Tech to begin their collegiate careers. Ava Veith, Tori Powell and Erin Carleton all came to Blacksburg in January, but are now back home, like many of the rest of their teammates, trying to find ways to stay in shape and navigate their way through online classes.
Already in the works for this semester were "Early Enrollee Q&As". Below, please enjoy the final one with Powder Springs, Georgia native Erin Carleton, who started as an attacking midfielder in Tech's lone scrimmage of the spring versus Liberty and played about 75 of the match.
"I did have the opportunity to play in our first spring events including our last scrimmage against Liberty," Carleton said. "In comparison to club soccer, it's a much different game. The speed of play was much quicker and a lot more physical which I had to adapt to but overall I really enjoyed it."
Below is the rest of her Q&A, which now includes a couple added questions due to the current situation we are all living in. To view the previous Q&As, click the links at the end of the story.
Q: When did you first entertain the idea of graduating early and enrolling at Tech this January?
EC: "Going to school early had always been in the back of my mind but I seriously started considering it after talking to the coaches the summer going into my senior year."
Q: Was this a difficult decision, whose advice did you seek, if any, and what do you remember of those conversations?
EC: "This was a difficult decision for me. I asked for advice from my parents especially, but also my club coach and a few other girls I know that had made the same decision. They all highly recommended it and thought it would be the best decision for me to grow personally."
Q: What are you most excited about with your decision to enroll early?
EC: "Going into it, I think I was most excited to meet new friends and live in a different environment. I've always looked forward to playing soccer in college so I was really excited to finally begin what I've been working so long to do."
Q: What was your biggest apprehension in the decision?
EC: "I was definitely most apprehensive about leaving my friends and family. Especially in the middle of my senior year when there's a lot to look forward to."
Q: What do you think you will miss the most about your final semester of high school?
EC: "Looking back, I was really upset about missing out on my last season of high school soccer, prom, and just being with my friends the last few months before everyone goes off to college."
Q: How had the first couple of months gone for you, in terms of acclimating to school and the working with the program?
EC: "I would say, the first few weeks at Tech were tough. I missed my friends and family a lot and struggled getting back into shape after taking time off with shoulder surgery. But after that, I really began to enjoy the experience. I met a whole group of new people and learned a lot from it, so I can't wait to go back this summer."
Q: With everything that's happened, are you still happy with your decision to enroll early?
EC: "I am really glad that I had the opportunity to enroll early, I think I learned a lot about myself; how to work through difficult situations and step outside my comfort zone. I also think it will really benefit me going into the season this fall, having been through it already. I think I'll have more of an advantage."
Q: How are you adapting to online classes and trying to workout in our current climate?
EC: "With everything that's going on now and having to transition back home and to online school, it's been challenging for sure. It's much harder at home to stay in the same routine as we were in at Tech. Focusing on online classes and working out without the structure of the coaches and our support staff is much more difficult but I've been adjusting well."
Previous Early Enrollee Q&A's