By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
When the town Elsberry, Missouri, is mentioned, not much probably comes to mind.
Elsberry, located northwest of St. Louis along the Mississippi River, is your typical small Midwest town. It has only 2,143 residents and is only 1.63 square miles. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone.
But it’s not the kind of place where you would expect to find a 1A Missouri High School state player of the year or a Big 12 leading goal scorer and definitely not a Big 12 freshman of the week.
Freshman forward Grace White did exactly that.
White grew up playing soccer in Elsberry, where she attended Elsberry High School. That is where White’s soccer career took off.
She finished with 142 goals in three seasons in high school, a class 1A state championship and a Missouri 1A State Player of the Year award. She also earned three first-team all-state honors and three first-team all-district honors.
“We were lower 1A in Missouri, so it wasn’t super competitive,” White said. “But I think that it really helped my finishing in general because I just had so many opportunities.”
Baylor didn’t miss her high school success, and White caught the Bears’ eyes, eventually signing with them.
Now, in her freshman year, White has shown no signs of struggle in the transition from small-town soccer to D1.
She scored her first collegiate goal in her second game against Texas A&M. A perfect through ball from senior forward Theresa McCullogh gave White a one-on-one with the goalie, and she sneaked it right past into the net.
“Luckily, the back line was pretty spread apart, so if she could just thread me the ball I was going to be pretty open on goal, and she did that,” White said. “I took one touch, and didn’t have much time, and just placed it in the corner. It was super surreal to finally be able to finish one in my first ever collegiate goal.”
Baylor fans got just a small taste of what White would bring to the attack for the Bears.
White has continued her impressive freshman season, scoring three goals in the last four games for Baylor and even surprising herself with how flawless her transition to college play has been.
“Coming into the fall, I wasn’t expecting to have that result,” White said. “I’ve just been super happy to be able to contribute to the team in that way.”
Even for the best players, their game always needs some adjustments.
“Coming to college, everyone’s fast and everyone’s strong, so getting used to being able to hold off the ball and hold my own has definitely been something I have to adjust to.”
White doesn’t take credit for all her success. Instead, she credits her coaches and teammates.
“All the coaches took a lot of time to pull me aside and help break down the small things, so their help in general has helped me adjust,” White said. “And I would say my teammates just have been so supportive, and having their support, I just respect them so much.”
Head coach Michelle Lenard has taken notice of White’s talent and has tried to put White in situations for success.
“Grace makes great runs, and we got to get her in more of these situations,” Lenard said.
Lenard has noticed White’s talent and so have her veteran teammates. Senior forward Lauren Omholt feels competing with White makes the team better when they compete in practice.
“I’m so grateful to be up against really competitive players,” Omholt said. “It just makes everyone better, ultimately makes the team better and makes us more prepared for games.”
White has also been recognized nationally, winning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors.
“I was super honored,” White said. “I was expecting it; I opened my phone, saw it, and was super excited. I think it showed that my hard work paid off.”
As the Bears enter play in a deep conference, they will need White to generate shots and goals to become a top team in the nation.
“I just want to contribute how I can,” White said. “Whether that’s scoring or playmaking, I just want to help do whatever.”
While Elsberry is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone, White is making sure her name goes beyond just those 2,143 residents. As the freshman continues to shine, the name that started in a small town is making its way onto a national stage.
