Chloe Briggs officially signs with Purple Eagles
One of Chloe Briggs’ most enduring memories from when she was young was being with her family at an airport and seeing a collegiate soccer team passing through on its way to a game.
“They all had their soccer gear on and their bags and I remember thinking that was really cool. I thought to be a part of that would be really, really cool.”
The Grade 12 student at Greater Fort Erie Secondary School first got an inkling that scholarship soccer could be in her future when she was playing at the under-14 level and was invited to attend a showcase tryout for the provincial team.
“That’s when I first started hearing about the recruitment process and girls playing in the States. I started to think I could really have a shot at it if I worked hard and tried my best,” the 17-year-old Stevensville resident said.”That’s why I originally made the move to the OPDL (Ontario Player Development League).”
The 5-foot-6 fullback’s soccer journey began with house league soccer in Fort Erie when she was three before she moved to the travel level in Fort Erie when she was eight. Next came stops in Niagara Falls, the Niagara Regional team, Burlington in the OPDL, Empire Niagara and then back to Burlington with coach Casey Downey and the Burlington Force under-21 provincial elite team.
Up next will be NCAA Division 1 soccer next fall with the Niagara Purple Eagles in Lewiston, N.Y.
“They were always near the top of my list and they were one of the first schools I sent an email to when we were allowed to talk to coaches in June of 2020,” she said. “My brother (Zach) actually goes there which was nice and my high school coach Miss (Betsy) Oort also went there and she played soccer there for the same coach, coach (Peter) Veltri. She spoke really highly about the program.”
Briggs also had conversations with a number of other schools but Niagara quickly became her destination of choice.
“It was everything all together. It’s close to home, which is nice and it is a good school. When I got the offer from them, it was like everything was fitting together and it seemed like where I should be.”
Briggs verbally committed to the school in November 2020 and last Monday, she did a signing ceremony at home in the presence of her parents and grandparents.
“I’ve known for long time where I’m going to go on and to actually be able to sign it and to say I’m officially going there just felt really good.”
She considers herself fortunate to have an opportunity to play university soccer because others saw their hopes hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was tough because coaches didn’t want to see you in person. We were lucky enough to have all our games taped so I could send the coaches video and that’s how coach Veltri saw me. I feel for those girls who weren’t able to get out. It’s been really hard to get exposure to these coaches.”
Briggs is planning to study biochemistry and feels she is more than ready to deal with the rigours of being a student/athlete in a demanding academic program.
“Time management has always been important to me and with going to Burlington three or four nights a week, getting homework done in the car and stuff like that has always been something I’ve had to do. I’ve gotten pretty used to juggling.”
She is excited about being a student/athlete and can’t wait to get started. She knows it won’t be easy.
“Going in as a freshman is tough, but I’m hoping that I will be able to play and get that experience,” Briggs said. “I’m just really trying to work on my game this year and get stronger because I’m going to be playing with women who are 21-22 years old. By getting stronger and working on my game. I’m hoping I can get on the field next year.”
She is presently training three days a week and has an upcoming tournament in December. She also works out at home to build muscle.
