Catoosa_walker_news The 2018 Walker County Soccer Players of the Year
LaFayette’s Bailey Tarvin has proven that there is seemingly nothing that she can’t do on a soccer field.
Put her up front and she’ll beat defenders and find the net. Stick her in the midfield and she can dribble through traffic and distribute accurate passes to her teammates. Play her on the back row and she’ll make life miserable for any opposing forwards who are looking to score.
Of course, Tarvin has yet to play keeper for the Lady Ramblers. LaFayette already has some more-than-capable net-minders on the squad, but if need be, Tarvin would probably be just fine there as well.
Today, the Lady Ramblers’ do-it-all standout is being honored as the Walker County Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
“She’s just a good athlete and a good player,” LaFayette head coach Whitney Brown explained. “She’s feisty and she’s super competitive. She can score and she can finish and when you put her on defense, she will do everything she can stop that ball from going into the goal.
“I wish I had her at each level on a field. She just has a fire about her that just makes her different than a lot of other people.”
Tarvin, who excels at volleyball in the fall, knocked home a teamhigh nine goals this past season and dished out a team-high eight assists. Her play helped a young Lady Ramblers’ squad turn in a somewhat surprising eight-win campaign and an above .500 overall record.
“I’m very blessed to have this award,” Tarvin said humbly. “I feel that all the other girls worked very hard too and I think we all put a lot of hard work in, so it’s an honor to get this award.”
Versatility was the name of the game for Tarvin, who split time between the forward and midfield spots, while also seeing some spot duty as a defender.
“My favorite position is forward just because I’m more experienced with that,” she explained. “But I’ll play anywhere on the field.”
She said the 2018 season was a nice stepping stone toward what she hopes will be a big senior campaign for herself and her team.
“I feel like this year was pretty good,” she added. “We had a lot of girls that came up their freshman year and they really put in the work and progressed. They’ve come a long way and I’m really looking forward to next year.” So is Brown. “Bailey’s been the same player for us every single year she’s been here,” the veteran coach added. “She’s just continuously gotten more mature, so to have her back next year, it’s going to be a fun year. That whole group of upcoming seniors is a great group of kids.”