Kelly Hogan is looking to help the Trojans women’s soccer team achieve a conference championship this season.

Hogan, a former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy standout, is heading into her sophomore season at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. It was a transition, but Hogan learned a lot about herself. With a year under her belt, she is feeling comfortable and hoping to make some improvements from year one to year two.

Last season, UALR finished 9-9-3. Not too long after the season, their coach resigned. Hogan will be with her second coach in two years, but she is excited about the transition. The transition between a former coach and the new coach can be tricky, but Hogan believes to this point establishing a rapport with the new coach has been easy.

“The transition has been very easy,” she said. “My new coach is focusing on a team-centered approach. His positive attitude during training sessions has brought the best effort out of the players. Hopefully, that translates to a Sun Belt Conference Championship.”

She played in two games as a freshman last season. Hogan admits that she really didn’t know what to expect at first. Because of her adjustment and nerves, she didn’t play as well as she would have liked last fall. When spring came around, she was able to settle down and began to play like she knew she could.

“I fixed my mentality, and I started to see more playing time in the spring,” she said. “I’m more comfortable with the speed of play and everything that comes with Division I soccer.”

For her sophomore season, Hogan just wants to become the best goalkeeper and teammate she can be. The team’s goal this season is to win the Sun Belt. She knows that it is only doable if she and her teammates all buy in and work hard.

“I want to do everything in my power to make this season a success,” Hogan said. “My job is to put in maximum effort and to push my other teammates to do the same. We take every match game by game. We had some tough opponents on the schedule, but if we work hard and leave it on the field, we can be very successful.”

Hogan hopes her spring work has paid off and that she will be the starting goalkeeper this season.

“In college sports, nothing can be taken for granted,” she said. “I have worked really hard in the spring and over the summer to be a strong contender.”