Linnea Larson | Junior | Bennington High School
Bennington High School junior Linnea Larson dreams of playing soccer in college one day. A goalkeeper for Bennington as well as her club team through the Elkhorn Athletic Association (EAA), she believes playing soccer has helped her grow as a person. “My freshman year, I started varsity and I was very nervous because I was playing against older players and wasn’t comfortable with my team yet,” she said. “As the years have gone on, I’ve grown a lot more confident not only in my play but in my personality as well.”
In middle school, she switched from a club team in Bennington that she’d played on her whole life to playing for a club team with EAA. “I had to fit in with a new team and learn how they played, which was a challenge. I have had the opportunity to play for multiple teams within EAA with different coaches where I learned to become adaptive and more coachable.”
In her sophomore year, the Bennington team made program history by playing in the Class B State Semi-Finals. Larson was chosen as First Team All-Conference, All-State Honorable Mention, Top 5 Nebraska Goalkeeper Stats, and she also broke school records for shutouts and career saves. Former Bennington High School varsity soccer coach Alex Saunders said, “Linnea is a heck of a keeper. She is reliable, athletic, and gritty. Our team is greatly impacted by her excellence in goal. She’s also a wonderful young lady and does very well in school too. This makes for the complete package as a student-
athlete.”
Larson is proud of her determination and work ethic. “When I am playing, I am always completely focused on the game and on what I am doing at the moment. This level of focus allows me to achieve accomplishments I am working towards. But most of all, I play soccer to have fun and relieve stress.”
Larson’s EAA soccer coach Haggai Leboo believes she is a role model for her teammates. “Linnea is truly a joy to coach and watch play,” he said. “She leads by example with her consistency and effort. Although quiet, she is a fierce competitor with enormous potential to continue growing.”
More stories like this one can be found at our Varsity Corner.
