Brooke Slater dominates on the field
For many people, choosing a sport to play can be hard. Many people either do not like playing sports at all, or had to choose between one or the other, but for Brooke Slater, choosing soccer came easy.
Slater spent her younger years in Chicagowith her parents and three siblings. While growing up in Chicago, Slater immediately fell in love with soccer.
"I started playing soccer when I was four," Slater said, who is a defensive left back for the Trojans. "It was rec league where we would just kick it back and forth, but I was striker, and it was super fun."
Her love came from her older sisters who played, who ultimately impacted how Slater became who she is today.
"Watching them play soccer my whole entire life, I was like 'I want to do that'," Slater said. " I was watching them the whole entire time, and I knew I wanted to be just like them."
The Slater family moved south from Chicago and ended up in Tampa, Florida. Slater's love for soccer did not go away;it continued to grow every day.
"I was in third grade when I ended up moving to Tampa, so I was about nine," Slater said. "That’s whenthe competitiveness kicked in and when I started thinking that this was something I wanted to do my entire life."
Slater then chose to play travel soccer, where she went on to play for Florida Premier. During her time there, the competition was difficult, but one coach helped her.
"The competition was elite; there were two main teams in my area, and our rival was Tampa United,” Slater said “Those games held big rivalries, and were always so fun to play in.
"My coaching staff at the time, specifically Coach Elgine, was my rock to soccer to get me to the next level."
Eventually, Slater started going to showcases but was not sure of exactly where she wanted to play. One school in particular though was able to catch her interest.
“At that time, Troy reached out to me, and I thought ‘oh maybe I should go to this school;’ I had not really looked into any school, but then I met the girls, and they were amazing, and it was just an amazing atmosphere,” Slater said. “The environment at Troy was amazing, the brick and the field was just really pretty, and I loved it.”
Slater has now continued her career at Troy, playing for the last two years for the Trojan’s backline. Even with the support from teammates and fans, Slater’s family has and will always be her biggest reason for her playing soccer.
“My family is my why, my mom is always at the games every single one home and away,” Slater said. “My parents have just been with me just the whole and entire way.
"All of my siblings were athletes, so they were always my supportive teammates."
Slater and the team will finish out its regular season with a chance to make it to postseason. The Trojans will take on App State on the road on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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