April 2010 WinStar - Liz Pinkerton

Elizabeth (Liz) Pinkerton is a junior at The Covenant School who began playing soccer when she was five years old. Since the age of 10, she has been a member of the travel team of the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville-Albemarle. After captaining the Covenant School JV Soccer team during her seventh grade year, Liz was pulled up to the Varsity squad after the JV season ended to help her Varsity team finish out the season. She was a valuable player and made the winning penalty kick in the quarterfinals of the State Tournament that year. At the end of her sophomore season, Liz was voted by her teammates to serve as a captain of the team this year. Liz has struggled through shin splints and stress fractures since her ninth grade year, but refused to give up or change sports, instead committing herself to daily icings and taping her shins for competitions. Last year her varsity season ended with a broken collarbone in the second to last regular season match. After sustaining a concussion in February 2010 during a SOCA tournament game, Liz made it clear to her parents and doctors alike that this injury would not deter her from continuing to play soccer. While Liz has been on the Varsity team, The Covenant School has won the League of Independent Schools tournament twice, played in the last four Division II State Final Fours, and is currently two-time Division II State Champions. She currently plays center back for her team.

Her coach at Covenant, Pat Campbell says, “Liz is like a coach on the field for our team. When I’m deciding positions or practice drills for our team, I consult with the Assistant Coaches and the Captains. Liz always gives great input, even if it’s not always what I want to hear. Her passion for the game inspires everyone around her. Despite playing the game with as much zeal as anyone, she always plays fair and with unsurpassed sportsmanship.”

Liz is a High Honor Roll student taking multiple Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors level courses and was nominated to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in Atlanta this summer. She is eager to do this because of her interest in going pre-medicine in college. She also plans on taking part in a mission trip to Nicaragua this June, and is excited about service in a Spanish speaking country.

(A WinStar is a female athlete who is currently in high school.)