Kaitlin “Sully” Sullivan is a senior forward for the Eastern women’s soccer team, and is the leading scorer for all active players and has had a memorable career as a Panther.

In her soccer career she has had many ups and downs.

“My career at Eastern has been a hell of a ride to say the least,” Sullivan said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve played under two different head coaches and three different assistants. I’ve gained teammates, lost teammates, won, lost, laughed and cried, but I wouldn’t go back and change any of it because everything happens for a reason.”

Following her soccer career Sullivan said she plans on spending her first year out of college doing secretary work at her Dad’s company Sullivan Financial.

“During that time I’ll be applying for jobs and saving up money,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think my dad knows about any of this though, so I should probably run this idea by him sometime soon.”

Sullivan said she has taken many things from spending four years on the soccer field that will benefit her once her soccer career has come to an end.

“I can’t even imagine all the ways I’ll benefit from what I’ve learned through soccer,” Sullivan said. “Everything from time management and adapting to change, to finding a comfortable way to sleep on a charter bus will help me out.”

Her teammates and friends call Sullivan by her nickname Sully.”My parents actually gave me a first name when I was born,” Sullivan said. “It’s Kaitlin, not Sully.”

Sunday Sullivan will be one of the four seniors that will be honored for Senior Day at Lakeside Field following the team’s game.

Sullivan will round out her regular season Panther career this weekend as the Panthers welcome Tennessee-Martin and Murray State to Lakeside Field. The team is still in the running for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

“Going into this final home weekend I’m both nervous and excited,” Sullivan said. “I realize nobody is going to hand us two wins without a fight, but we can handle any amount of adversity we’re faced with.”

Sullivan said she has a lot of confidence in the team going into this weekend.

“I have all the confidence in the world in my team and our ability to beat anybody unlucky enough to face us.”

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-7944 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu.

Senior midfielder Kaitlin Sullivan is seen as a leader for the women’s soccer team. (Audrey Sawyer

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