Haley Van Voorhis’ play led to an incomplete third-down go by the Juniata quarterback on Saturday. Shenandoah went on to win, 48-7.

Keric Jackson/Shenandoah Athletic Communications

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Keric Jackson/Shenandoah Athletic Communications

Haley Van Voorhis’ play led to an incomplete third-down go by the Juniata quarterback on Saturday. Shenandoah went on to win, 48-7.

Keric Jackson/Shenandoah Athletic Communications

Safety Haley Van Voorhis grew to become the primary girl who was not a kicker or punter to seem in a NCAA school soccer sport.

Van Voorhis, a junior at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., was tapped to play Saturday in opposition to Juniata College throughout a Division III sport at Shenandoah’s Shentel Stadium.

Van Voorhis stepped onto the sector through the first quarter and registered a quarterback hurry — which led to an incomplete third-down go by Juniata quarterback Calvin German. Shenandoah went on to win, 48-7, in line with NCAA.

Not solely did Van Voorhis, from The Plains, Va., make school soccer historical past, she additionally joined the handful of feminine athletes to have participated in school soccer.

In 1997, Liz Heaston, a kicker for the NAIA’s Willamette University in Oregon, grew to become the primary girl to play and rating in a university soccer sport. In 2003, Katie Hnida of the University of New Mexico was credited as the primary girl to score as a place-kicker in an NCAA Division I-A sport, the best degree of school soccer within the U.S.

In 2020, Sarah Fuller from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., grew to become the primary feminine athlete to swimsuit up for a Power Five school soccer sport.

In highschool, Van Voorhis acquired honors for each soccer and basketball. This was her first 12 months enjoying for Shenandoah’s varsity squad.

“I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that,” Van Voorhis advised The Washington Post on Saturday.

Van Voorhis deserved her place on the sector, says Shenandoah soccer coach, Scott Yoder.

“She has been working hard and it’s great to see her take advantage of the opportunity she has earned,” Yoder advised NPR.

Shenandoah University’s president, Tracy Fitzsimmons, described Saturday’s play as an inspiring feat that goes past soccer.

“What makes this particularly exciting is that Haley’s accomplishment is not just a well-earned personal achievement, but also a victory for all women and girls,” Fitzsimmons stated in an announcement.