In her first year at Forty Acres, freshman defender Carly Montgomery quickly settled into a starting role, becoming a member of a championship team and earning honors. Texas Soccer His first year with the program was a whirlwind, but Montgomery is looking forward to his second year of growth.
Montgomery started 23 games and played in all 24 games during his freshman season. Montgomery was able to start early and often and reflects on having a chance to play in his first year.
“When I got the opportunity (to play), I was so grateful. … I learned a lot about the college game and was able to grow myself. It was an experience I'll never forget. I am very grateful for that,” Montgomery said.
For her performance, Montgomery earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors and was one of only two Longhorns to be awarded that honor.
“It means a lot to me and it validates the way I play,” Montgomery said. “It helps us stay motivated to keep working, working for our teammates as well and winning awards. It shows us that we are top players and that all our efforts It’s proving to be really rewarding.”
This season, Montgomery helped Texas win its third Big 12 Championship and reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. Montgomery has learned a lot from his involvement with the team this season, including learning about his role and how to make an impact within the team.
“This was a big role I had to play, but it was just a matter of accepting it and figuring out how to handle the pressure,” Montgomery said. “And because I was so young, I had to learn pretty quickly in order to be successful.”
Additionally, while playing against older, more experienced players, Montgomery learned that his confidence in both his abilities and impact allowed him to become a key contributor in his first season. Montgomery grew by playing with and learning from the teammates around him.
Montgomery joins a Texas team that has a lot of veteran experience among its starters. This unique situation allowed her to absorb a lot of knowledge from her teammates.
“I was really the only freshman left in the starting eleven at one point, so I was able to watch them and really learn how they go about their games and practices, and from there I was able to learn and apply it to my game,” Montgomery said. .
Montgomery is looking forward to his second season and is looking to further develop as a player as Texas moves into the SEC.
“I want to improve my fitness, conditioning, running and strengthen all my muscles to make sure I’m strong and healthy enough to play in the SEC,” Montgomery said. “As a centre-back, I have to be a playmaker and make a lot of passes, see everything on the field and just work on my technique (ability).”