On Monday, Aug. 24, the Waynesburg University women’s soccer team had quite the guest join them during a team meeting on Zoom. The team was joined by United States soccer star Carli Lloyd.

Lloyd, one the most decorated U.S. women’s soccer players of all time is a two-time World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Player of the Year.

With COVID-19 taking over the sports world, Waynesburg postponed fall sports until the spring. This means that there will be no men’s or women’s soccer being played. To inspire her team, head coach Laura Heethius reached out to her former Western New York Flash teammate to potentially set up a Zoom meeting with them.

On Aug. 22, Heethius gathered her team to let them know about the call. The team was very excited and surprised to learn they were going to have the opportunity to talk to a U.S soccer legend. Lloyd is a very experienced player and comes with a ton of knowledge as well.

She discussed her college soccer experience and decisions she was forced to make when choosing her university. It came down to West Virginia University and Rutgers University. Lloyd decided to attend Rutgers because she “wanted to help build that team and make a difference in their program.”

The call between Lloyd and the women’s soccer team lasted about 45 minutes. When it was over, senior midfielder Jill Moyer was shocked.

“It was pretty crazy to think that Carli Lloyd was taking the time to talk to our team,” Moyer said. “When I was being recruited to Waynesburg, Coach Laura asked me on my visit who my favorite soccer player was. Remembering the 2015 Olympics, I immediately answered Carli Lloyd. It felt pretty ironic that my senior year playing at Waynesburg, we had the opportunity to talk to Carli.”

Lloyd went on to admit she wasn’t a big fan of fitness. It wasn’t until after college she started to really care about conditioning. Also, while in college, Lloyd had a determined mindset with a focus on becoming a great soccer player.

She “never got involved in drama and would just show up and play. She didn’t need to be friends with her teammates, but on the field, she always had their backs.”

Lloyd opened up to the team about her experiences on the women’s national team and her World Cup runs. Lloyd is very “satisfied” with her career thus far.

One of her favorite memories was in the 2015 World Cup when she scored a hat trick, and the U.S won its third World Cup. It didn’t make a difference whether it was Australia or Brazil. Lloyd shared she was just showing up for another game. 

It was truly a memorable experience for Moyer and her teammates.

“The most memorable thing I took away from the call is that Carli Lloyd chose to go to a school to help build their program instead of a school that already was successful,” Moyer said. “I feel this really shows her drive as a player and that she is willing to work hard to reach a goal rather than take the safe and easy route. Many great players want to go to the big successful schools because they think it shows their worth and quality. However, choosing a weaker team and building them up proves an even stronger and higher quality player.”