Elisabeth Morehouse: a national talent at Hudson Valley
John C. Longton III, Sports Editor
Elisabeth Morehouse scored 16 of Hudson Valley women’s soccer’s 24 goals in their first seven games, making her third-ranked in the nation for goals scored. The team has a 5-2 record so far this season.
“The addition of Lizzy brings composure to the team,” said head coach John Pokines. Pokines has served as the head coach to the Hudson Valley women’s soccer team since 2005 and has seen a lot of players come and go. “I was aware of Lizzy’s goal-scoring capabilities last year in high school. For the past couple years, she had been towards the top of the scoring column in Section II.”
Morehouse is a freshman here at Hudson Valley and has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember.
“I started playing soccer when I was about four,” said Morehouse. She chose soccer over other sports because she had a raw talent for soccer vs anything else. “There was a point where I wanted to play field hockey, but my mother wouldn’t let me. She knew I had potential playing soccer,” she said.
In Morehouse’s first game at the college level, she recorded a hat trick, scoring three goals in the Northeast Cup vs Cayuga. Since then she hasn’t looked back. She has scored five goals in a game on two separate occasions and has totaled 16 goals on the season through Sept. 17, making her mark on the national level.
Morehouse credits her older sister, Abby, for being her inspiration. “My sister played when I was younger and I went to all of her varsity games,” said Morehouse, who was always the ball girl at her sister’s games and aspired to play at that level.
In terms of playing at the college level, Morehouse didn’t know she would transition this quickly. “I was all right in high school, and I didn’t know what to expect in college,” said Morehouse.
Coach Pokines said, “Lizzy is that player everyone looks up to, yet no one really realizes they do.” Even though she’s new to the team, he said, Morehouse carries herself like a veteran who can play at the next level.
Morehouse is currently enrolled in individual studies and is not sure where she is going to school next. One thing is for sure: wherever she goes, she wants to continue to play soccer. “It’s pretty up in the air, but probably somewhere close to here, though,” said Morehouse, talking about choosing a school after Hudson Valley.
One local school that could be on her list that she’d fit well with is the College of Saint Rose. The Saint Rose women’s soccer team has been on the national level for a couple years now. In 2011, they won the national championship, and they were two wins shy just a season ago.
“I believe she can play at the D1 level,” said Pokines. “She has a natural ability for putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s something in the striker’s DNA to score goals.”
The next home game for Morehouse and the women’s soccer team is Monday, Sept. 28, against Springfield Tech. Given the pace Morehouse is on, she will surely etch her name in the Hudson Valley record books.