Watching Madison Lloyd on the soccer pitch for the Ware County Lady Gators, it’s easy to see that she is having fun.
“My favorite part of playing soccer is that it’s a sport where you can be aggressive and it’s acceptable,” she said.
And aggressive she is. Coaches refer to her as “Banger” because she “bangs” into other players during games. She is so aggressive, she once killed two birds with one shot, literally.
“I went turkey hunting with my dad last year and killed two turkeys in one shot,” Lloyd said.
Along with turkey hunting in the spring, Lloyd turns her attention to soccer, where, after playing every position on the field, she now plays outside forward.
“Madison has always been a defensive player and a ball winner,” Ware County girls soccer coach Michael Cook said. “However over the past year, she has developed an attacking mentality and was moved from defensive midfielder to winger.”
Lloyd has taken on every task on the field, from goal keeper and defender to an attacking offensive player. She prepares herself mentally to get the ball and attack, but admits that, despite her aggressive style, she still gets nervous. Also, like anyone who plays regularly, she deals with nagging injuries commonly suffered when playing.
“Being as aggressive as I am when I play, I’ve had multiple injuries, and I’ve played with injuries so I wouldn’t feel like I let my team down,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd started playing organized sports at 7 years old when she took up softball. She started playing soccer in seventh grade and fell in love with the sport.
“I had always played only softball in middle school until someone asked me to try out for soccer,” she said. “I was kinda iffy about it at first because I had never thought about soccer being a sport I’d play.”
A few weeks before tryouts, she got a soccer ball and started working with a friend of her father’s who had coached soccer.
“He taught me how to pass and the main rules of the game,” Lloyd said. “I pushed really hard and did my very best to make the team. I would’ve hated to try out for something and not make the team.”
Lloyd was her team’s goal keeper through middle school. She played softball until ninth grade, when she became “The Gator” at Ware County High School.
“When I quit softball, I became the mascot for our school my 10th grade year and also was on the color guard team in band.”
She continued playing soccer, and now at the high school level, Lloyd has learned the nuances of the game.
“In the past I would make illegal fouls and just run anyone over just for the heck of it, but I would get carded,” she said. “Now I try to make legal tackles and be someone my teammates can look up to.”
She also improved her footwork by practicing at home. She has played for coach Cook’s travel team since seventh grade and credited him with helping her improve as a player.
“He has always pushed me and everyone he’s coached to do their best and to better themselves,” she said.
Lloyd worked on her ability to beat players in one-on-one situations as well as her shooting and finishing ability, enabling her to put the ball in the back of the net with her feet or head.
“Madison is strong in many areas of the game, but her ability to get in behind the back line and create chances is her strongest,” Cook said.
Lloyd adds another attacking threat through her ability to both assist and score goals.
Last season she played the most memorable game of her soccer career against Atkinson County, an attacking-style team that is always a danger of coming from behind.
“All of a sudden it started pouring down rain,” Lloyd said. “It was funny knocking people down and them falling in the mud and being able to slide on the wet grass.”
The daughter of Donna and Matt Lloyd of Waycross, Maddie carries a GPA of 3.7. Her plans are to finish classes at South Georgia State College and become a registered nurse or perhaps a pharmacist. In addition to high school classes, college classes, and practice, Lloyd has a job to fill her schedule.
“My dad is always supportive of me, and he watches every game,” Lloyd said. “He helps push me to practice during the off season so I will be better the next year.”
SE-MI-0417-Lloyd
MI – Madison Lloyd
912-282-2679
Ware County girls’ soccer
By Rob Asbell
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
Be Aggressive
