Picture this: a five-year-old Molly Sheridan watches her older sisters play soccer, and immediately decides that she wanted to do the same thing as them. Little did she know how far this decision would take her, and how her love for soccer would continue to grow.

Molly Sheridan, Trinity senior women’s soccer captain, began her soccer career in St. Louis, Missouri, at six years old. From then on, the floodgates were open. She continued playing soccer all throughout her childhood, and played competitive soccer from second grade all throughout high school.

In high school, she started sending emails out to coaches to get recruited. Trinity responded, and she was able to come down for a visit and she fell in love.

“I really liked it immediately. I had an older sister who swam at a division one school, so I got to see the difference. I just really loved to see the team studying together and doing different things together, as well as the warm weather,” Sheridan said.

Freshman year, Sheridan came into the program and immediately was thrown into the world of college soccer.

“When I first came in, probably the hardest part was just to adjust to the different level of play that is college. There were 16 girls in my incoming class, so it was hard to figure out what my role on the team was going to be and how I was going to accomplish that,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan credits the upperclassmen who were on the team that guided her and shaped her into the player she strived to be.

“I really attribute the person and player that I grew into to the upperclassmen. When I was a freshman, they really mentored me and the older girls that played my position were able to identify my skills and build on my toolbox of things that I knew would set me apart from others,” Sheridan said.

The star forward also spoke about how she hopes to emulate the role that her older teammates filled for her in the way that she approaches this year’s younger players. Coming into her senior season, she feels that it’s her turn to be a mentor.

“This is the third or fourth time I’ve done this now and I feel like I’ve got all my ducks in a row. I feel comfortable, I know what my role is, and now it’s about how I can pass down those things that the upperclassmen helped me with when I was in their shoes. It feels like a full circle, and it’s so cool to be in a position where I now get to help those younger players,” Sheridan said.

So far this season, the Tigers are unbeaten in all matches played, largely due to Sheridan’s scoring prowess. With seven goals and three assists, Sheridan’s lethal finishing in the final third is proving to be a crucial part of the Tigers’ offense. The Tigers are currently ranked eighth in the nation and are poised to have a potentially unforgettable season.

“Our goal for this season is to win it all,” Sheridan said.

As for her personal goals, Sheridan hopes to graduate this spring with a double-major in political science and international business. Post-college, her plan is to take a service related gap year and potentially work in a public civic or public health program, and then complete a dual law and master’s in the public health program.