Head Bangs: Vandy grad shines in junior season at Belmont Abbey

She prepares for every soccer match the same – with her iPod blasting Paramore into her ears. Her attire is also selectively chosen. She only wears a certain type of sliding shorts and a certain type of sports bra under her red-and-white-colored collegiate uniform.

On the field, she tapes her left wrist each game and inks the No. 5 on one side with the words ‘Play for Mike’ on the other to honor a fallen classmate who collapsed and passed away during a game.

Right before kick-off, she stands at the midfield line and leaps as high as she possibly can before gravity pulls her back onto the ground.

Yes, Belmont Abbey junior forward Meghan Philp is an awfully routine-driven young lady when it comes to preparing for a soccer match.

But once the game begins, her biggest routine is just getting started – the art of routinely scoring goals and creating havoc for her opponents.

Just like she did as a dominant offensive striker for Vandebilt Catholic, Philp is finding success at the college level.

Through three games in her junior season, the Houma native is leading the Crusaders in both points (5) and goals scored (2) – all while playing for a nationally-ranked unbeaten team that has aspirations for winning a Division II NCAA Tournament Championship.

Philp said she’s currently enjoying her role as an experienced leader for Belmont Abbey – a three-year contributor in the prestigious program.

“The transition from sophomore to junior has gone pretty well for me,” Philp said. “Now that I am a junior, I have more of a leadership role than I did as a freshman or sophomore. As a junior, I am a mentor to the younger players because I have been here for a while now, and I know what struggles the underclassmen may be dealing with.”

The leadership role is great – something that Crusaders’ coach Mike Lynch is surely pleased to see. But make no mistake about it – Philp’s No. 1 job is to score goals.

As a Lady Terrier, Philp showed that she was able to put the ball into the back of the net with ease, scoring more than 150 career goals to set the all-time Vandebilt school record. That’s saying a mouthful when one considers that Vandebilt is arguably one of the top prep girls’ soccer programs in Louisiana – a year-in, year-out contender to win the State Championship.

But at the college level, not much has changed for Philp, who stepped onto Belmont Abbey’s North Carolina-based campus and had an impact from her freshman season.

Last year as a sophomore, Philp led the Crusaders in goals scored on a conference championship-winning team that rolled all the way to the Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Philp admitted that the players at the college level are faster and stronger than she’d seen in high school, but added that the preparation she received at Vandebilt helped to ease the transition. She said that she was blessed to adjust quickly to the speed and tempo of the game – something other players sometimes struggle with.

“The college game was definitely a little faster when I first came in as a freshman, but it was easy to get used to,” Philp said. “Now, the college game feels like any other game I have ever played in. Now, it’s just more physically and mentally demanding because everyone at this level was probably the star player at their school or club team.”

With two strong seasons under her belt, the only thing that has been able to slow Philp from scoring goals so far has been Mother Nature.

Philp said that shortly following her junior season, she was diagnosed with mononucleosis – an ailment that sidelined her for most of the spring. After battling mono and finally returning to practice, she then caught strep throat and was sidelined again, which cut into her time on the field with her teammates.

“I only played in our final two spring games, which both went really well,” Philp said.

Once back fully healthy, Philp said that she had a productive summer – a series of months spent working on her touch, crossing, game play and finishing skills at the net.

Whatever work was put in has paid off.

In the Crusaders’ first game of the season against Alabama-Huntsville, Philp scored an unassisted goal in the 38th minute of the match to give her team a 2-0 lead.

After Huntsville fired back and made the game 2-1, Philp assisted teammate Cierra Skyers’ goal to aid the Crusaders’ 4-2 win.

In her next game on the pitch, Philp was just as lethal. With Belmont Abbey down 2-1 and time winding down in the match, Philp scored an equalizer from the front of the box in the 82nd minute – a goal that set up the teams’ eventual 2-all tie.

Philp said that from her freshman season to now, she can tell that teams have taken note of her ability and are now keying on her in certain situations.

But luckily, she has a “bunch of great players” at her side on a team that has a slew of other players that can score.

At press-time, Belmont Abbey was ranked as the No. 4 team in the Southeast for NCAA Division II women’s soccer.

“Our team is very good,” Philp said. “It’s early on in the season, but so far we’re undefeated. I would say that our goals are to win another conference championship, to advance ever deeper into the NCAA Tournament this year. The ultimate goal would be to win the NCAA Tournament.”

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Philp will be scoring goals as long as she’s on the soccer field.

The Houma native said she is majoring in Sports Management with a minor in Business Administration. With that curriculum, she said she is pondering goals that range from coaching to possibly starting her own club someday.

But she said the ultimate goal would be to possibly chase a career in professional soccer.

Who knows? With as routinely as she puts balls into the back of the net, anything seems possible.

“The best thing about scoring a goal is probably the celebration from my teammates running up to me,” Philp said when asked to describe the rush of scoring a goal. “The immediate rush of energy and momentum I feel jolting through me is indescribable.”

Houma native Meghan Philp (right) is enjoying a lot of collegiate success at Belmont Abbey. As one of the team’s top offensive players, Philp hopes to lead her team to the NCAA Tournament Championship. 

COURTESY OF MEGHAN PHILP