By: Alex Spancake, Contributing Writer

Athlete Spotlight: Aubrey Bledsoe

Athlete: Aubrey Bledsoe

Sport: Soccer

Number: 1

Position: Goalie

Year: Sophomore

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Whether she’s dining at the pit, playing intramurals with friends, or working on schoolwork, Aubrey Bledsoe knows how to keep herself busy. Coming from a family full of athletes (both of her parents are marathon runners!), perhaps it should come as no surprise that Aubrey has recently declared her major in Health & Exercise Science.

While I found that my conversation with Aubrey was laidback and enjoyable, I also learned that trying to score a goal past her is nearly impossible, especially with the way she was playing this past season. On average, Aubrey allowed .74 goals a game and stopped over 80% of the shots she faced. To put icing on the cake, Aubrey had 14 shutouts in 2011. That’s more than half the games played over the entire season.

Though an amazing goalkeeper, it seemed apparent that Aubrey has bought into the team mentality. When asked about her performance, Aubrey was quick to point out the role of her teammates in making her a better goalkeeper. In addition to playing as a unit on the field, Aubrey also noted that “The team has grown really close.” This is great news for a team that is returning all 11 of their starters.

Looking forward to next season, Aubrey knows that her team has the talent to make another run at a NCAA Championship. However, she also acknowledged that it will take a strong effort during the off-season. When asked about the training she responded, “It’s brutal.” Between endurance training, weight lifting, and even team yoga sessions on a daily basis during the off-season combined with Wake Forest’s academics, “brutal” sounds about right.

Fun Facts:

-          Aubrey has started every game in her career at Wake Forest.

-          In 2011 she received A LOT of awards: NSCAA All-America Second Team, Soccer America MVP Second Team, All-ACC First Team, All-Southeast Region First Team, ACC All-Tournament Team, Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week (Twice!)

Cool Fact: Aubrey has a twin sister who is also a college goalkeeper (Brown University.)

Embarrassing Story: When playing for her club team in high school, Aubrey went to midfield in order to celebrate with her team after they had scored. However, the opponents quickly started play and scored while Aubrey ran back to goal.

Favorite meal at the Pit: Pasta

Favorite soccer player: Tim Howard

Favorite Sport (besides soccer): Basketball