PICKENS — Pickens High School soccer standout Sara Dooley is the latest PHS student to sign an athletic scholarship to play at the next level.

Pickens High School soccer goalkeeper Sara Dooley signed last week to play her college soccer at Western Carolina University. Pictured are Brian Dooley, Dawn Dooley, Pickens soccer coach Frank Sullivan, Jackson Dooley and Sara Dooley.

Dooley, who has guarded the net for the Blue Flame for the last three seasons, will take her talents to Western Carolina University this fall.

‘This means everything to me, because I have had so many people tell me I couldn’t do it because of my lack of height,” Dooley told The Courier. “When being a goalkeeper, short is not a good thing. Now that I have earned a scholarship, it means everything to me.”

Dooley has confidence, but said she knows the speed of play will be much faster at the college level.

“I have been playing at a really high level, and I am hoping that will help with the transition,” she said.

Dooley also said her scholarship will show other girls in the area that they too can achieve their dreams with hard work.

“(I love) being one of the captains for the Blue Flame and being able to set an example to show people living in small towns, where soccer is not really a big deal, that it is possible to play at the next level,” she said. “It gives me a lot of pride to have been able to play for Pickens High School. I have so much support from my teachers, friends and coaches. I have always loved putting on that blue jersey.”

Dooley said she fell in love with Western Carolina the first time she arrived on campus.

“It was pouring down rain when I got there, and I had to play, and I still loved the school,” she said. “I thought that was a good sign that I needed to be there. The coaches are great and the girls on the team now are great.”

Dooley said the staff at WCU said she had a good chance of contributing right away.

“I just have to get into shape and pass all my fitness tests and keep working over the summer,” she said.

That said, she’ll still miss PHS when the time comes to say goodbye.

“It will be a hard thing, because high school soccer was one of the best things about high school for me,” she said.