HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana women’s soccer team has had a proud tradition of success on the pitch with 19 trips to the Southland Conference Tournament and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

   The Lady Lions have also had a tradition of success in the classroom, one that is being continued by the 2017 squad. Fifteen members carry a 3.0 or better grade point average into the season which gets underway at 6 p.m. Friday against Jackson State in Strawberry Stadium.

   “Academics is extremely important,” Lady Lions head coach Chris McBride said. “At the end of the day, after these four years, we want to encourage as many girls as possible to go play soccer. But the most important part is that at the end of the four years, they walk off with a degree in a timely manner. Our girls are very studious student-athletes. We carry a very successful team GPA with respects to our goals and the athletic department’s goals. We put a lot of emphasis on good grades.”

   Epitomizing that commitment to academics is midfielder Elizabeth Hunter. The junior from Bakersfield, California currently has a 4.0 GPA and is a two-time member of the Southland Conference’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She was also among four student-athletes who were presented with “Athletic Scholar” black jackets for having a cumulative 4.0 GPA at the annual Southeastern Athletics Academic Banquet this past April.

    “I think most importantly is having the support of the staff and my teammates,” Hunter said of combining academics and athletics. “And time management skills with going to study hall.”

    Hunter also cited the support she received from her family.

    “My parents have always let me be independent,” Hunter said. “Their support has just made me into the woman I am today. Once I got into college, they said you can do whatever you set your mind to, so go for it, do your best in every aspect and you‘ll do great.”

    Hunter’s biggest challenge to that perfect mark in the classroom?

    “Earth and space science,” Hunter said, laughing. “I got a 90.1. I was scrambling all he semester to learn it.”

    Hunter has also enjoyed success on the pitch since coming to Southeastern. An All-League, Defensive MVP and All-Area performer at Liberty High School in Bakersfield, she followed in the steps of her father, Brock McMurray, who played baseball at Southeastern in 1988 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Major League Draft. But she said she wound up in Hammond by chance.

    “I was actually on a tour of visiting several southern schools and my old coach here got in touch with me kind of randomly the single day I was in Louisiana,” Hunter said. “I just felt like Southeastern was home.”

    As a freshman, she helped the Lady Lions capture the Southland Conference Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. She started 10 of 12 matches she appeared in and helped the Lady Lions record a 0.83 goals against average and 10 shutouts. In 2016, she started 12 matches, helping the squad record five shutouts, sixth-most in the Southland, before being sidelined with torn ligaments in her ankle.

    “I’m good and ready to get back,” Hunter said of recovering from the injury. “I think it gave me a new perspective. I think sitting on the sidelines for the second half of the season, it really developed me as a person and helped me not only hold myself accountable, but also hold my teammates accountable and get the bench involved in a positive manner.”

    Southeastern finished the season with a 7-11-2 record and a sixth-place finish in the Southland Conference. The Lady Lions advanced to the conference tournament before losing to eventual champion Houston Baptist in the first round.

    “I think we have a lot of regrets from last year,” Hunter said. “I think a lot of that came from missing that oneness as a team. This year, we are really team-oriented and I think that will bring us a far way in itself.”

    Hunter and her Southeastern teammates are adjusting to a new system this season under the new coaching staff of McBride and assistant Mary Mancin. Hunter, who played outside back as a freshman and center back last season, is being moved to midfield, a position she said she played nearly her entire life before coming to Southeastern.

    “So, I’m kind of going back to my comfort zone this year,” Hunter said. “With that, they will be looking for me to lead my team vocally and to make a positive impact in the middle moving the ball around. Just really being a team player and being a strong, experienced player in the midfield.”

    Hunter will be a part of a large junior class that is expected to help provide leadership on a team that returns just three seniors.

    “I think for the seniors and juniors who have been to the conference tournament and have won, we just bring experience to the team on how to handle ourselves once we get there,” Hunter said. “Once you get to that tournament, it’s anyone’s game so it’s just about giving 100 percent especially when you get there and every step of the way.”

    Hunter is hoping those steps lead to another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

    “Obviously I expect to win a championship and move into the NCAA Tournament,” Hunter said. “From a team aspect, I want to make sure that everybody has a great year. That everybody stays positive and we keep our togetherness as we go throughout the year.”

    Hunter is expected to graduate in the spring with a degree in finance. She hopes to go on to receive her MBA and become a financial analyst or get into the investment world, working with athletes or the entertainment industry.

    McBride pointed out Hunter will be receiving her degree in three years, citing it as another example of her dedication on and off the pitch.

    “Liz is a very hard-working student in the classroom and is a great example for her teammates,” McBride said. “She works hard on and off the pitch and that is reflected especially in her academic achievements with receiving a 4.0 and graduating it a degree in finance within three years. We are all very proud of her and we’re lucky to have her as a part of the team.”

    As for advice for her younger teammates looking to follow her lead, Hunter emphasized time management.

    “Ultimately you have to decide what your priorities are and stick to your priorities,” Hunter said. “Stick to your guns and you’ll be successful for sure, especially if you utilize the resources Southeastern has provided us.”