It’s difficult to put into words what senior goalkeeper Olivia Clark meant to the Newton County girls soccer team this past season.

Clark and the Lady Cougars pitched 12 shutouts en route to a 15-8 record and a berth in the MHSAA Class 4A state semifinal round. The East Central Community College signee was named Region 4-4A’s Most Outstanding Goalkeeper and also made the Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star game.

Because of her outstanding season, Clark was named the Premier Preps Presented by Mississippi Power Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

“It’s very exciting,” Clark said. “It’s something I take very seriously and have a lot of pride in.”

Newton County girls soccer coach Zac Foreman said Clark played a big role in the team’s success this past winter.

“To be honest, I don’t even know if I can quantify what she meant to the team,” Foreman said. “She’s the best keeper I’ve coached and the best I’ve seen play. She does everything so well from top to bottom. She’s technically gifted, is smart and is a leader. In all facets of the game, she helps us.”

Knowing how difficult it is to score on Clark helped ease the burden for the rest of the team, Foreman added.

“The biggest difference is the confidence it instills in the team,” Foreman explained. “With the other 10 players, it gives them that sense of security because you know that last line of defense is a really good one.”

While Clark started out at midfield when she first started playing soccer, by the time she reached middle school she decided to dedicate herself to goalie after a coach put her in the box and she fell in love with the position.

“I don’t have to run, first of all,” Clark joked. “It’s just a good feeling knowing that the person who has to keep others from winning the game and keep your team in the game, is me.”

Clark said her aggressiveness has improved over her high school career, and she’s also developed mental toughness from playing the position.

“It takes a lot of work to be a goalkeeper,” Clark said. “It’s not something you can do overnight.”

As one of the team’s leaders, Clark said she had to show some tough love at times, but she and the other girls bonded, which allowed them to go as far as they did in the postseason.

“We got to where we could give each other constructive criticisms, but we also had to confront each other about the stuff we had to work on,” Clark said.

ECCC is Clark’s next step in her soccer career, and she’s hoping to continue playing beyond her two years at the Decatur campus.

“I always wanted to go to East Central, and I’m really excited to get to play at a higher level and hope to go ever higher after this,” Clark said.