Chargers' Elite Eight Sign NCAA Intent Letters

With their reasons as different as their destinations, eight members of High School’s senior class signed their letters of intent, and in doing so opened a new chapter of their lives.

Some will stay close, while others will venture a few hours north or south. They will leave plenty behind, but take even more with them.

“This day was basically my dream come true,” said Kelly Farrell, who received a full scholarship to play soccer at Old Dominion University. “Since I was 4 years old and started playing soccer, I always wanted to go to college to play soccer. I always wanted to be with my best friends who were going D-1 with me. This is amazing.”

Farrell’s decision to attend ODU was made easy once two of her friends—one from Winslow and one from Gloucester Catholic—decided they would attend.

Of course, instantly being attracted to the school didn’t hurt either.

“I visited a lot of schools and I always knew that there was going to be one that hit me like ‘boom, this is where I need to be,’" she said. "As soon as I made my first visit there I just fell in love with it.”

For the last four years, Farrell’s partner in crime on the soccer field was Olivia McEachern. The duo formed an instant midfielder-to-forward connection, with each player filling up the stat sheet on a game-by-game basis. As Farrell heads south to Norfolk, VA, McEachern will take a brief trip west to Philadelphia, where a full ride to St. Joseph’s University awaits.

Like her teammate, McEachern expressed the joy she experienced being able to represent Timber Creek at the next level.

“It’s the best feeling in the world really because not only am I signing for myself, but I’m signing next to all my friends I grew up with, playing soccer with and playing other sports with,” said McEachern. “It’s really just so exciting to get to think about my future and think about college.

Signing next to Farrell made it even more special.

“Kelly Farrell is literally one of my best friends and she is my favorite person to play with in high school,” she said. “Signing next to her was a special feeling.”

McEachern and Farrell were joined by a foursome of boys' soccer players—Andrew Garcia, Jeff Morgan, Sonimi Halliday and Alex Lolli—as well as tennis standout Jordan Crawley and football star Quanzell Lambert.

All four boys’ soccer players expressed how meaningful it was to cap off a year that included a South Jersey title with a group signing.

“It’s nice to see all of my teammates going off to college,” said Lolli, who will attend Widener University. “I will be playing against some of them, so it will be interesting after playing with them so long."

Lolli, who plans on going to school to get a degree in nursing, said accademics played a major role in his decision.

“They have a great nursing program so I plan on excelling in the classroom, as well as the field,” he said.

Garcia, who will attend St. Francis University on a scholarship, echoed the sentiment, saying soccer was just a part of the overall picture.

“My decision was based on ‘If I didn’t play soccer how would I feel being here?’” he said. “It felt right.”

Below is the complete list of Timber Creek players who signed letters of intent and where they will be attending.

Jordan Crawley – Rutgers University-Camden (tennis)

Kelly Farrell – Old Dominion (soccer)

Olivia McEachern – St. Joseph’s (soccer)

Andrew Garcia – St. Francis (soccer)

Sonimi Halliday – Rider (soccer)

Alex Lolli – Widener (soccer)

Jeff Morgan – Stockton (soccer)

Quanzell Lambert – Rutgers University (football)                             

Check back with GT Patch Sunday for more on the departure of a foursome that led the boys’ soccer team to a South Jersey title.