STATESBORO - A dream of owning her own pair of cleats took this Washington native almost 3,000 miles to the 'Boro.
Senior defender Erin Wilkins was first introduced to soccer when she was nine years old after seeing her older sister, Sam, running around on the field. "I wanted to copy my sister and also my mom promised me my own pair of cleats," said Wilkins.
Since then, Wilkins has devoted her craft to soccer. Playing for her local club team in Tacoma Washington, Crossfire ECNL, and her high school Bellarmine Preparatory School, Wilkins earned first-team All-League honors as a junior and senior.
"I knew I wanted to play college when I was a junior in high school," Wilkins added. When Georgia Southern offered her a scholarship, she couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Being 3,000 miles away from home isn't easy for anyone, but for Erin, she embraced it and went in head first. "I remember graduating high school and then just a week later, I was on a flight to Statesboro," Wilkins said. Wilkins made history that day by being the first Georgia Southern women's soccer student-athlete to hail from the state of Washington.
After touching down in Statesboro, Wilkins quickly had a culture shock, noticing that the only grocery store in town was the Walmart. This adjustment was difficult at times, but Erin's open minded outlook allowed her to embrace the change and grow to love the town.
The senior defender has started 52 of her career 60 matches during her Eagle career, racking up 16 assists, which leads all active players. During her sophomore season, Erin broke out by leading the team in assists and ranking fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in that category. Her six assists that season were the most by an Eagle since Jennifer Wittick in 2016.
Going into her senior season Wilkins has her goals set, "My main priority is to win the Sun Belt this year and be able to compete in the NCAA tournament at the end of the year," Wilkins said.
The Eagles had their work cut out for them this season, facing two top 15 opponents in Arkansas and Tennessee in their non conference schedule. Just like traveling 3,000 miles to Georgia Southern, Wilkins and the Eagles were ready to face this challenge head on.
"Playing at Tennessee was great for us going into conference play," Wilkins said. "They are a very talented team that we certainly respected, and I think it was crucial to have these types of games before Sun Belt Conference play."
After this season, Erin will start another chapter in her life. The marketing major plans to work in that field, preferably pharmaceutical. And she doesn't want to move far from Statesboro since falling in love with the south and its weather.
"Everyone here wants you to succeed and push you to be the best you can be," Wilkins said. "I'm gonna miss the ability to just call up one of my teammates to run to the store, or just hang out with."
This Georgia Southern chapter won't be forgotten as Wilkins will miss her teammates and the supportive culture of Georgia Southern Women's soccer.
