Love of soccer wins out over basketball for Lockview’s Goncalves

Isabel Goncalves has committed to SMU for women's soccer. (Submitted photo)

WELLINGTON: Finding her love for soccer has led one Wellington student-athlete to find a post-secondary institution where she can both play the sport she loves while also attending the program she wants.

Izzy Goncalves was unveiled recently by the St. Marty’s University women’s soccer Huskies as committing to the team beginning with the 2022 season.

The Lockview High senior has already had a practice session with the team and loves how they play.

“I’m very excited about this,” said the Wellington resident. “I’m really looking forward to this season.”

The decision came after she had looked at Dalhousie, but SMU was the only one of the two that had the Criminology Program she was looking at.

“That’s what I wanted to go into, and it was really the best school for it around here,” said Goncalves. “I also get to stay around my friends and family down here, so all around a good decision.”

Up until a year ago, Goncalves, who also plays with the LHS varsity girls basketball Dragons, was looking for basketball.

“I kind of found my love for soccer a little more and thought that I would enjoy it a little more,” she said. “I can’t do both of them at the same time, but I may look into doing their track if they will allow that, because it’s in the off-season so I think I should be able to.”

The 17-year-old feels being close to home will allow her to not be stressed out like going away might have made her feel.

“It won’t stress me out as much as if I was away, because I have a lot of like people that I can rely on down here if anything was to happen,” said Goncalves.

What was her friends reaction to the news, shared through the SMU Women’s soccer teams Instagram?

“My friends are all very happy, they’re all very excited,” she said. “They think that it’s going to be really good for me.”