Three freshmen on the Kentucky Wesleyan women's soccer team have come in and contributed heavily this season. 

Steeley Walker is a freshman from Daviess County High School. She is yet another name added to the list of Daviess County soccer stars who've remained a Panther by continuing their career at Wesleyan. The pipeline continues to grow as there are currently 14 former Daviess County players between the men's and women's soccer programs. 

During her high school career, Walker won District Player of the Year, along with being named to the All-State, All-Region, and All-District teams numerous times. Many people had high expectations when Walker committed to joining the program at Kentucky Wesleyan. 

Walker has done more than just meet these expectations. She made a position change to center back just days before the first game of the season and has since started all nine games. Walker has played the majority of the minutes so far this season, holding it down on the back end for the Panthers. 

"The biggest thing I think that helped me come in and contribute so early was the support that my teammates and coaches gave me during our preseason," Walker said. "They gave me a lot of new information and helped me navigate a new position that they needed me to play." 

Ilana Hall is another defender, hailing from Henderson County, where she led the Colonels to four straight District Titles as well as two Region Championships. Hall was also named to All-District and All-Region teams. 

The freshman full-back has started five games and played legitimate minutes in every match up to this point, although she says she really didn't expect it. 

"My first year has been really exciting and my teammates have made me feel comfortable really quickly," Hall said. "I have been surprised to have been getting any playing time my freshman year let alone starting in games. I think the work I put in over the summer really helped me contribute earlier." 

Haidyn Green has started two games and played in all nine for the Panthers this season. The freshman forward comes from McCracken County High School, where she was a three-time All-District player as well as receiving All-Region First Team. 

Green has already been able to adjust to the next level, recording the first goal of her collegiate career against Berea College on August 28th. 

"The speed of the game is a lot faster than high school, as well as the overall aggressiveness on the field," Green said. "Being comfortable with my teammates and knowing a couple of girls on the team allowed me to settle my nerves and come into the season with a confident attitude to be able to contribute to the team." 

Although Panthers have gotten off to a slow start this season, they have continuously been improving. A big part of that has been the continued progression of their young players and their ability to mesh with the upperclassmen. 

"This season for our team has not started out exactly how we had hoped but we are starting to find our style of play and starting to improve on that," Walker said. "For the upcoming years we look to continue to grow as a team." 

All three freshman were very successful and leaders on each of their respective squads in high school. Not only are they looking to build off what the upperclassmen have done on the field in the next four years, they're also looking to improve the program off the field. 

"Throughout the next four years we want to continue with what the seniors started this year, stressing the importance of athlete's mental health and prioritizing it over anything else," Green said.