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When the Tri-parish area last saw Meghan Philp, she was scoring goals by the dozen at Vandebilt Catholic High School.
Two years have passed, Philp’s uniform has changed and the competition she competes against is more skilled.
But the Houma native is still making an impact on the soccer pitch.
Now a sophomore at Belmont Abbey, Philp is the Crusaders’ leading goal scorer through the team’s first nine games of the season.
Philp has four goals, two assists and 10 total points for the team, which started the year with a 7-2 record and a sparkling 3-0 mark in conference play.
“Belmont Abbey has been great,” Philp said this week. “It’s been a place where I’ve definitely been able to continue the success that I’ve had in high school in terms of the scoring aspect of the game. I’ve also gotten much better at getting assists, so that’s good too. … I’m just focused on doing anything possible that I can do to help my team win.”
Philp landed with Belmont Abbey after establishing herself as a winning player with Vandebilt.
In her career as a Lady Terrier, Philp scored more than 150 goals, breaking Vandebilt’s all-time record.
In high school, Philp and her teammates found success in the standings, pushing into the state finals in each of the final seasons of her career.
With Belmont Abbey, Philp said that success in the standings has continued.
As a true freshman, the former Lady Terrier was a contributor on a team that won the Conference Carolinas Championship, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and won a game while there – the best season in the past decade for the Crusaders.
This year, Philp said she believes that Belmont Abbey has an even better chance to make a push for the NCAA Tournament title. She points to the team’s schedule as proof.
Last season, the Crusaders played a brutal non-conference schedule – a slate that pitted Belmont Abbey against some of the best teams in the country. Because of the challenging slate, the Crusaders took lumps and lost almost all of their non-conference games.
But this season against similar competition, Belmont Abbey has held its own and won a lot of the non-conference games.
“Our coach has been telling us that we really have a great chance to be better than we were last year and to really make a run in the NCAA Tournament,” Philp said. “And I know he’s being genuine when he tells us that, because that’s the type of coach that he is. We’ve played a lot of tough opponents to get us ready and we definitely think that we can win the conference championship again and we also definitely think that we can have a good deal of success once we make our way into the NCAA Tournament.”
While the Crusaders win games, Philp continues to make her mark by putting pressure on opponents’ defenses.
Through Belmont Abbey’s first nine games of the season, the Crusaders’ striker recorded 13 shots on goal – including four that found the back of the net.
Philp also has had a knack for coming through in the biggest moments of a game. Two of her goals this season have been game-winners for the Crusaders.
“I’ve been blessed to really be able to help my team in some really crucial times,” Philp said. “This year and last year, I was able to get a lot of game winners. Which that is just the best feeling in the world to put one in the net at a big time to help your team win a match.”
Philp said the biggest difference between the high school ranks and college ball is the commitment required for success and the physical strength needed to play the game.
Since enrolling at the college, Philp said the sport has been her job.
“In college, if you’re not studying or doing schoolwork, you’re doing something for soccer,” Philp said. “The commitment level is much greater. You’re always working on the game and you’re always working on trying to perfect certain skills. The competition is obviously much greater and every team you play has great players, so the demands are great to really make sure that you’re ready to play.”
Philp added that through that hard work, she’d become a bigger, stronger and more physical player.
“I can jump higher now, which really allows me to make a play on a lot of balls in the box to get headers and everything,” she said. “I think that I’m a smarter player and by having more strength, I think I can stay in better position when opponents try and play physical with me. I’m able to use my upper body strength to my advantage, which allows me to make more plays.”
With the season halfway finished, Philp said the Crusaders have a slew of team goals that they’d still like to reach.
Whether those challenges are conquered remains to be seen.
But she said she’s just enjoying every moment of being a successful college athlete.
Tri-parish natives know that it just wouldn’t quite be soccer season if Meghan Philp wouldn’t be rocketing shots into the back of the net to help a team win a high-stakes match.
“It’s pretty awesome, it really is amazing,” Philp said. “To score goals in high school is great and it’s something that I’m definitely going to be proud of for the rest of my life. But to be able to make a difference at the college level, it’s really pretty awesome, too. That’s something that I’m so thankful for.”
Former Vandebilt standout and now Belmont Abbey sophomore Meghan Philp puts the ball in play during a game this season. In her second year within the collegiate ranks, Philp has had a solid season for the Crusaders, leading the team in goals scored and points in the early going of the year. The former Lady Terrier said she wants to take the team deep into the NCAA Tournament this season. If successful, that feat would mark the most successful season in more than a decade for the Crusaders.
