Palmetto’s Sarah Liggins commits to Southeastern for soccer

Sarah Liggins had her sights set on playing college soccer close to home. With a signing ceremony at Palmetto High School on Thursday, the defender received her wish.

Liggins, a four-year starter for Palmetto, signed her National Letter of Intent to Southeastern University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program in Lakeland, while flanked by her parents in Palmetto.

“Southeastern hadn’t been on my radar until about November,” Liggins said. “Once I toured the school I was in love.”

She didn’t make contact with the Fire’s coaches, though, until she attended a one-day identification camp at the school in February. Until then, the school had merely been one of the options on her list.

The senior’s day spent playing in front of Southeastern’s coaches and working directly with the staff assured her interest in the school.

“They were super welcoming, very inviting, super excited. It was a really challenging atmosphere,” Liggins said, “but they had a real teamwork atmosphere.”

Liggins hasn’t gotten a sense of what her specific role will be with the Fire beyond continuing to play defense, where she has been a fixture on the Tigers’ back line and with the Braden River Soccer Club.

“I have to come in and work hard and, of course, those girls have been playing there for a couple years have experience under their belt.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Palmetto’s Sarah Liggins commits to Southeastern for soccer."