It was 7 a.m. and 4-year-old Stephanie Skilton was fast asleep. But downstairs in her Auckland, New Zealand home, Adrienne Skilton, Stephanie’s mom, had been up for hours. Her oldest daughter, Erica, was getting ready to play a match for her local club team, Clendon United. It was a typical morning at the Skilton household. Another day, another game.

All of a sudden, a thought stopped Adrienne in her tracks as she was getting ready.

Stephanie’s never seen a soccer game, she realized.

Soon after, Stephanie was in the back of the car heading to the Clendon United Football Grounds. Saturday soccer was a ritual for the Skilton family, yet she had no clue what all the fuss was about.

As the game began, Stephanie gazed across the field. She was taken aback. The game captivated her. The crisp passes and powerful volleys. The huge roars from the crowd around her. Love at first sight.

The little girl wanted to get on the field; she felt like she belonged there. She wanted to put on a pair of cleats and kick the ball too.

Stephanie couldn’t get enough. Soon after, she begged her mom to let her attend her sister’s practices. She craved cheering her big sister on from the sidelines. She later called herself “Erica’s little mascot.”

Ever since, soccer has been Skilton’s life. Every decision she’s made has been in pursuit of becoming the best. That’s how she went from local club reserve to an upper-league star. From U-17 New Zealand to its senior national team. From foreign freshman to senior captain, who is the Orange’s (6-1-1) leading scorer the past three seasons.

Skilton isn’t focusing on being the best now. She wants only one thing in her last year with the Orange: To lead SU to its first NCAA tournament berth since 2001.

“It’s been my goal ever since I’ve been here,” Skilton said. “… This is our time.”

…

A month had passed since Stephanie first saw Erica play. She loved watching, but wished she could fast-forward to being a grown-up so she could finally play.

One of Erica’s coaches walked over to Skilton’s parents. He, like many on the team, had noticed Stephanie’s constant appearances at practices and games. Adrienne Skilton told him that she adores soccer. The coach smiled.

“Well, a young boys’ team is starting up for children her age,” the coach said. “She’s more than welcome to join.”

Skilton cared little that she was the only girl playing. She just wanted to put on her first pair of cleats.

Ten minutes into her first game at the Clendon United Football Fairgrounds, Skilton started complaining. She wanted to get off the field.

Maybe Skilton didn’t like soccer after all, her parents thought.

Liam Kennedy | Contributing Photographer

 

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Stephanie felt that the boys weren’t playing the game properly,” Adrienne recalled. “She didn’t think they took the game seriously.”

Adrienne and Briv encouraged Stephanie to stick with it. She reluctantly agreed and dashed back onto the field.

It became evident that Skilton was the most talented player on the team. She possessed an acute sense of the game and a powerful shot. Naturally, her teammates were impressed — she quickly became the most popular player among her teammates.

From then on, there were two girls to transport to the Clendon United Football grounds for the Skiltons.

…

The seeds of Skilton’s move to the United States were planted at the U-17 World Cup in 2010. Although New Zealand lost all three games and was eliminated, the experience proved essential.

She developed a close friendship with Katie Bowen, a defender who played for the Glenfield Rovers. Bowen pleaded with Skilton to transfer to Glenfield and Skilton agreed.

“Playing with your best friend is not something everyone can say, but I was able to do that with Steph,” Bowen said. “It wasn’t a stressful environment because we had so much fun playing together. I didn’t want it to end.”

Bowen then told Skilton how she wanted to play college soccer in America, and she thought Skilton should do the same — specifically, in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I explained to her that in the ACC you have tough games week in and week out,” Bowen said. “This environment is what you need to get yourself into to improve your game. … I knew it was for Steph and that she would have so much fun.”

Bowen eventually committed to North Carolina and won the national championship as a freshman.

The benefits, from a soccer perspective, were clear to Skilton. But she was still conflicted. Night after night, she grappled with the decision. Skilton lived in New Zealand, 18 hours away by plane, her entire life. No one in Skilton’s family had ever been to the U.S. before. And most of all, Skilton’s parents were uneasy with the idea.

But everything changed when her parents came around.

“We were apprehensive at first about losing our youngest daughter whom we love dearly to the other side of the world for four years,” Adrienne Skilton said. “But it was obvious that it was a fantastic opportunity.”

Now the only question was where Skilton would play. Bowen acted as a mentor for Skilton, who asked for Bowen’s opinion when a school approached.

Syracuse head coach Wheddon was the man who brought Skilton across the earth. He recalled receiving video on Stephanie from a friend in New Zealand. He watched it several times and decided he needed to get Skilton in orange.

He immediately contacted her family. Her national team coaches. Her club coaches. Everyone who had seen Stephanie play.

Wheddon typically flies to check out international players. He didn’t need to with Skilton.

“It was never a question,” Wheddon said. “Any time you can get a girl like her, as well as someone from the national team, it’s special for a coach. It was a no-brainer.”

…

Syracuse’s forwards were out of gas during the tail end of a Sept. 4 game against Cornell on a scorching hot day. The Orange was coming off a loss to Bucknell three days earlier to halt its undefeated start to the season.

One week before, Wheddon said every game the rest of the way matters in the playoff push. In extra time, Skilton, Syracuse’s most prolific scorer, emerged once again.

Alex Lamontagne hooked a cross into the box toward Sydney Brackett, whose shot was saved. The ball bounced to Skilton who fired it in, winning the game.

Skilton’s come a long way since that morning in Auckland. She’s morphed from a curious child solely focused on being the best to the one trying to carry the Orange. She dreams of playing professionally someday. But that’s the last thing on her mind. She has one last season to finish what she came here to do. To make the tournament.

“I wake up and I just want to live and breathe soccer,” Skilton said. “If I could just play soccer forever that would be amazing… ending my collegiate career making the tournament would just be a dream come true.”

Published on September 13, 2016 at 11:30 pm

Contact Byron: brtollef@syr.edu