Keri Shannon is a senior midfielder for the Wheaton women’s soccer team. Last year, Shannon finished second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists. Her offensive prowess earned her a spot on the D3Soccer.com All-American Second Team and she helped the Thunder reach the 2011 National Championship game. Below is a brief interview with Keri.
Q: What is your major?
A: Christian Education.
Q: What plans do you have after graduation?
A: At the moment, I am still exploring options in sports ministry. I know sports ministry is a deep passion of mine, but I have yet to find a specific location or ministry that I would really love to settle down and do for awhile. I’m OK with not knowing right now because it makes life more interesting. So I will be looking into sports ministry options anywhere and everywhere. I’m willing, so I’m just waiting for God to send me somewhere.
Q: Why did you choose to attend Wheaton and play soccer?
A: Like a lot of Wheaton athletes, my journey to Wheaton was a God thing. I knew I wanted to play soccer, but the schools I was looking at (mainly in the Northeast) were good for soccer, but not great for individual spiritual growth. After a mishap with a scholarship, God made it very clear that I was looking at schools with messed-up priorities. Then I came to visit Wheaton, and without seeing a single women’s soccer player or coach, I knew I had to go here. So my choice to come to Wheaton was not necessarily contingent on soccer, but I knew I would play because I loved the game. I didn’t really know anything about the soccer team except that they were pretty good for a Division III school. Little did I know that this team would be one of the biggest blessings God could give me through Wheaton.
Q: What do you enjoy most about Wheaton?
A: Wheaton is a place that is very conducive for growth. Keri Shannon as a freshman is not even close to the Keri Shannon that is about to be a senior. Thankfully, I have been encouraged to be intentional with my time at Wheaton, so I have been able to experience a lot and push myself out of my comfort zone continuously. It’s awesome! God has gracefully proven to me over and over again that I am His project to work on and I get to be His display case.
Q: What is your favorite soccer memory so far in your time at Wheaton?
A: Gosh, I could give you a list of unforgettable moments where I either cried because of serious emotion or because I was laughing too hard, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get the 2011 NCAA Elite Eight tournament game versus Washington (Mo.) University out of my mind. It was our last NCAA tournament game before the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas and we were down 2-0 with 20 minutes to go in the game. Our coaches Pete [Felske] and Cesar [Gomez] made a keeper to sweeper-keeper change and Bucky Le Baudour went from sweeper to forward. The moment that happened, our mentality switched and we collectively decided to turn it on. Bucky scored two goals in three minutes. Then we went on to score one more to go ahead 3-2. We finished the game 4-2 without really understanding what just happened. I’m not the most emotional player, and I couldn’t tell you what emotion I was exhibiting after that game, but there was a lot of it. I can’t take any credit for the energy I had in that game, and I think all the girls would agree. Personally I was so close to asking for a sub, but God just kept saying “not yet” and I listened for some reason. After that night, all we knew was that for some reason, God wanted us in the Final Four. It is a pleasure winning games like that with the Lord as your only excuse and it is even more of a pleasure losing the Championship game against Messiah [College], but still knowing we played with the Lord’s strength and seeing Him work powerfully through that loss. The best part about our team is that we are willing to be God’s puppets whether we win or lose.
Q: How do you feel about the current 2012 team’s potential after reaching the national championship game last year? What will it take to get the team back to the final this season?
A: I think we have a great shot. We have hungry players that are excited. We by no means feel as though we can coast and have the same results as last year because it’s a totally new team and things will look different. If we stay healthy, play hard every single day (practice or game), and continue to love what we get to do, I think the Final Four is in clear sight.
