BEMIDJI -- Sophie Morin has always loved soccer, but she didn’t necessarily view it as an avenue for the future. Until she saw girls just like her playing collegiately, that is.
“I didn’t think of it much as a future until the girls I was friends with and kind of idolized on the Bemidji soccer team -- like Lindsey (Hildenbrand), Liz (Corradi) and my sister (Isabelle Morin) -- that they were all going to the collegiate level,” Morin said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is a thing that I can pursue.’ They really inspired me.”
Morin, a senior midfielder at Bemidji High School, capped her high school career last fall and now has her future set up on the pitch. She committed to the Lawrence University women’s soccer program on Wednesday.
“It’s really, really big to me,” she said. “I’m not sure how real it all seems yet. But I’m so excited to get on campus and (have) all of my worlds combining. A future in soccer, a future in education. Everything is coming together.”
Morin scored seven goals and assisted on nine more in 2020 as the Lumberjacks finished the year 9-4-2. A year prior, she assisted Lexi Paquette on the program’s first-ever state tournament goal.
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Growing up in youth soccer and developing all the way through the high school program, Morin knows just how integral her Bemidji pedigree has been.
“Our soccer community in Bemidji is so great, and it’s definitely grown these past couple years,” she said. “All of the coaches are so encouraging, and they were great resources for looking for a future.”
Lawrence is an NCAA Division III school in Appleton, Wis. The Vikings had their 2020 season postponed due to the pandemic, but they went 9-10 in 2019. When Morin enters into the program, she’s looking forward to helping the team elevate to new heights.
“(Head coach Joe Sagar) is focused a lot on trust, trusting him and trusting my teammates,” Morin said. “It seems like he’s trying to build a very connected team. That’s what I’m really excited for, connecting on and off the field, and just making something great.”
Morin plans to go into engineering, which was another reason why she landed on Lawrence. She said her love for math and science has helped decide her academic path, and Lawrence provides the best possible blend of all she wants.
“I’ve always liked the outdoors, and Wisconsin is a pretty outdoorsy state,” Morin said. “But also finding a good fit academically, as well as athletics, was super important to me. Lawrence was a great combination of all three.”
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