Started playing soccer at 4 years old, was a freshman on the second best team in state, competes in tournaments nationally year round, and signed to play DI soccer next year. These are some of the things Josie Pochocki ‘24 has achieved so far in her career. 

Pochocki started playing soccer at a young age because of her parents. In first grade, she started playing travel soccer for the local team Celtics FC, where she played for eight years. In high school, Pochocki switched clubs to play for Eclipse FC, and would go to compete in tournaments across the country. She then ended her club career with the travel team Galaxy. 

As a freshman at LT, she went into tryouts not expecting to be brought up to varsity. The team during Pochocki’s freshman year was the same team that ended up second in state, only having lost one game in the final.

“I was excited to make the freshman team,” Pochocki said. “I thought it would be a good way to make friends. But, when I found out I was being brought up on varsity I was surprised. I was worried I wasn’t going to make it playing up on varsity. I didn’t know what to expect, and I never really took in the fact that we got second in state.”

Even though she was not expecting to make varsity, head coach Bill Lanspeary quickly noticed Josie’s abilities and decided that she would be a good fit for the team.

“She is very athletic, quick, and fast,” Lanspeary said. “Her skill level is very high, she’s got great touch on the ball, she sees the game really well, and that’s what allows her to be able to play multiple positions. If you put that skill level with the athleticism and competitiveness she has, that’s what makes her such a great player.”

Spending all four years of high school on varsity, Pochocki has had a continually changing role on the team. From being a newbie learning the ropes of high school soccer to becoming one of the senior players who leads the team, it’s been fun to watch her development as a player and a person, Lanspeary said.

Eventually she began to get offers from different Division I schools. As a junior, she decided to commit to Southern Indiana, which the women’s soccer program is only in its second year of existence.

“They have everything I wanted,” she said. “They have really good academics, and they just have every aspect I was looking for. I got to see the inside of how the team is and I really like the environment with all of the girls. Also, the coach believing in my abilities gave me a lot of confidence that I was going to the right place. ”

Over the years that she has played on varsity there have been some standout moments that she will remember and miss.

“I’ll always remember our game against Loyola last year,” Pochocki said. “We were only up 1-0, but one of our players got a red card so we were playing 10 against 11. But, it was the most we’ve kept our momentum up. I scored a goal and Neeve Griffin ‘23 scored a goal, so to celebrate we then all went to Andy’s [Custard] after. I will also just miss the team dinners, and bus rides to games and back because someone always has a speaker.”

The girls soccer team’s next game is away against Lincoln Way East on March 30. The pink out game is against Nazareth Academy on May 4, and Regionals starts on May 14.