Avery Martin – Contributor
On Sept. 18, Kelsey Burr was named the NE10 Women’s Soccer Player of the week. Burr, a graduate student who plays forward, led the conference with three goals and an assist that week.
Burr was able to score her goals in a variety of ways. “It is amazing to score in such different ways,” said Burr, “I’ve had penalty kicks, I’ve had dribbling in a run of play, I’ve had balls across to me to score. So all those different moments are really exciting”.
Before playing for the Owls, Burr played at Sheehan High School in Wallingford. There, she was a three-time All-State, All-Area and All-Conference athlete. She was also named to the All-Hartford Currant team.
Burr says choosing to attend the university was an easy decision. “I chose Southern for soccer, that was the big thing. But also because it was really close to home for me and it had my education major and it is a really good program,” said Burr.
In 2022, Burr scored a career high of five goals during the 17 games she played in the season. She also had three assists. In 2021, she made the NCAA Division II New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association All-New England Team and scored three game-winning goals. In 2019, her freshman year, she was named to the NE10 honor roll and scored three goals and two assists during the season.
Burr’s coach, Adam Cohen, says that she is a special player. “She is just so motivated. She’s got a really strong growth mindset. She has had adversity in her career but she has really improved every step of the way,” said Cohen.
Burr’s teammate Amanda Dustin, a graduate student who plays back, said, “She is so creative and talented, she reads the game really well. She just has a different perspective on things, so playing with her for six years now I’ve learned so much about her and she has such a big impact on our team.”
Dustin has played with Burr since they were both freshman. “She is super knowledgeable, super easy to talk to, and super nice. She’s a competitive spirit and she really helps our team,” Dustin said.
Burr’s recent highlights include a goal against Holy Family, and scoring two goals and one assist against Saint Michael’s. Her goals for this season including winning the NE10 championship and continuing to go as far as possible with the team she describes as “really special”.
“This year our team is just shinning together. Something is just clicking, it’s different. We are really paying attention to the little things that we want to work on. Our preparation is so much better so that is helping us be more successful,” said Burr.
Cohen also believes this season’s team is special and has the chance to advance further than they have before.
Cohen said: “I think that we have the potential. It’s about the people, and its about how they have the will and desire to work for each other and with each other. This group seems to be doing that.”
