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Haley, A Real Princess |
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Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 22:23 |
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July 24, 2010
PRINCESS HALEY
Coach's dream for Dallas Premier SC
By Phil Stephens
Editor
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Princess Haley can take some big steps down the field for Dallas Premier SC. The Florida Southern senior is a fierce attacker, but equally adept as a defender.
Photo by Michael Stephens | Brian Flanagan, coaching the Dallas Premier SC for the first time this season, first had to get to know his players and their abilities. But the veteran club coach didn’t need any help to know he had a real coach’s dream in Princess Haley.
“She brings a lot to the table,” Flanagan said. “I was familiar with her, being a Sting coach and then saw her success in college. I was very excited about having her on this team. She is becoming a team leader and sets a standard for the others to follow.”
Haley is a record-setting goal scorer for Florida Southern, in Lakeland, FL. But the 5-7 attacker is versatile enough to move to the back line and play it very well. In college, she started the first five games of her sophomore season in defense, but has still has the career best in goals for the school (33) with one more season to go for the Moccasins.
So Flanagan moved her to the back line with confidence for the last few games of the regular WPSL season. She just didn’t trudge to the back and do her duty; she brought a spirited attitude and a real athletic presence. In describing her abilities, Flanagan said, “She plays bigger than her 5-7 height. She has a tremendous vertical leap.”
Through his coaching, Flanagan actually met her younger sister Briana first, along with their father Charles Haley, a future NFL hall of famer and former Dallas Cowboy defensive lineman. The coach has learned, as anyone talking to Princess will conclude, that his competitive zeal passed on to Princess. But competitiveness isn’t enough to describe the senior at Florida Southern.
Growing up, Princess Haley and her parents didn’t really know much about club soccer. The YMCA leagues suited them just fine. She didn’t get into club soccer until she was in the sixth grade and started playing for the Dallas Sting when she was a freshman in high school.
With a name like Princess, she attracted some attention, but it didn’t really fit her personality, because, as she said, “I was a real tomboy growing up and all my tee shirts had Princess on them. That was pretty funny at times.”
She tried everything at least once, including: ballet, gymnastics, tennis, soccer, basketball and track. But it was club soccer that kept drawing her back to the pitch.
“It is a tough environment,” she said. “You have to learn and learn quickly.”
Haley can’t hide the glowing admiration she has for her father, who has supported her throughout her endeavors. She acknowledges her abilities and attitude were personified first by her Dad and she is thankful for them and him. He is not just a doting daddy because Princess has a brother, Charles Jr., who plays football for UTEP and a sister Briana who is also an accomplished soccer player for the Texans.
The all-around talent loves her time with Dallas Premier. It is her second season with the team, though this year has not been as ultimately rewarding. Last season, the team won the Big Sky South Conference, went to the WPSL Final Four and won the U23 National Championship.
“This season has been all new,” she said. “We’ve had the best of everything and our anticipation for the season was so high. It just didn’t click. But we still have the opportunity to go out and kick some butt this year. We can’t stop trying until we do, either in the U23 Nationals or the Open Cup.”
She hasn’t missed the opportunity to gain a lot from her experience with the Dallas Premier, even when it hasn’t included winning every game.
“Summer league and college are two different things,” she said. “It is great to play with such super talented girls here and be involved with the game and playing with such different personalities. I love playing both sides of the ball. Defense is probably even more instinctual than attacking. Some of the older veterans have really helped me, such as Melinda (“Bullet” Carter). She has tried to direct and make me more comfortable in what we are doing.”
Knowing that team owner Paul Marshall wants to establish a WPS pro franchise in Dallas, based on the Dallas Premier, Haley adds that to her list of future considerations. Now, it is still time to “kick butt” on the soccer pitch and then graduate in the fall at Florida College. She is already looking to apply to a grad school next spring in business management, mulling the possibilities at Baylor, TCU or the University of San Francisco. Her father also played for the San Fransisco 49’ers.
Mr. Haley played on five Super Bowl winners and her dad clearly knows how to raise winners. Anyone that knows Princess Haley would agree.
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