Latour joins the Bison
North Point senior signs to Howard Univ. for soccer
For the most part, Ai- mee Latour’s high school career at North Point was played under the radar.
Latour, who will be graduating with her senior class in June, epitomized everything Eagles head girls soccer coach Kiante Webb stresses to his players: being opened to change, accepting new roles, learning responsibilities and thriving in each level.
And Latour now has a new level to leap to as she will play collegiately at NCAA Division I out- fit Howard University in Washington, D.C. There, her future coaches and teammates will likely learn that Latour’s game revolves around getting others involved in the action and doing what is best for the team.
Latour, who had a signing ceremony in the North Point gymnasium Feb. 8, was recruited to play her primary position as a defender, but with her versatility can play in the midfield or even as a striker.
“It was a very rewarding and relieving feeling to sign with Howard, a Division I school,” said Latour, who maintains a 4.5 GPA in the classroom and will major in archi- tecture. “Howard was the best choice for me because of the location. I love being in D.C. That is where my club team that I play with in the offsea- son is located. I’m excited to go to a school in such a historic city with many opportunities.”
The Howard women’s soccer team, a member of the Southwestern Athlet- ic Conference, came off a strong last fall, finishing with a 13-5-2 overall season, 9-0-1 mark in the SWAC — also earning the SWAC regular season crown. The Bison’s head coach is Brent Leiba.
Latour led the Eagles to a 14-3-1 overall mark and a 6-0 record in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference’s Potomac Division en route to their second straight division crown and the program’s first-ever Class 4A South Region championship, advancing to the state semifinals.
She is hoping to keep the Bison going on the winning track.
“Howard’s soccer style fits me perfectly and two big things that I think I will bring to their program is my ability to build out of the back and my patience on the ball in keep possession,” said Latour, who visited the Howard campus in July. “Overall, I’m very excited about the future and I’m happy with my decision of selecting the Bison.”
Not only has Latour grown on the high school circuit the last four years mentally, but physically her overall soccer skills grew tremendously as she played with the boys during that span. In the offseason, she spent her time playing with Capital FC U-18 boys club team based in Washington, D.C., where she was coached by Jason Gross.
“Playing with and against the boys helped me play the game a lot faster and it also helped me to make smarter decisions on the ball,” La- tour said. “Playing with the boys the past four years improved my skill level a lot.”
Latour, who played var- sity for 3 1/2 seasons, was an All-County first-team selection in her junior and senior seasons, where she scored a combined 11 goals and 10 assists.
She also was an AllSMAC first-team selec- tion as a senior and an All-SMAC honorable mention selection as a junior. The Eagles were 47-13-3 overall during her career.
“It is a great opportunity and she’s earned it,” Webb said. “Her mental growth really took her over the top and you can put her anywhere on the field. She is also a great student in the classroom.”