Beyond the Game: Southern Boone soccer standout Lillian Brooks

ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)

Southern Boone soccer star Lillian Brooks went 'Beyond the Game' with ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones, as she's averaged nearly a hat trick per night through her junior campaign

You can watch Brooks' full edition of the 'Beyond the Game' on ABC 17 News at six. You can also find a full transcript of the interview below.

Nathalie Jones: "What's up everyone? We're at Southern Boone High School going beyond the game with soccer star Lillian Brooks. Lillian, I'm always curious, what inspired you to start getting into soccer?"

Lillian Brooks: "Well, I've always played it since my whole life. Like, my older brother, I grew up watching him play soccer here at the high school, as well, and he was always good. So, in that competitive nature, I wanted to be better than him. So, I've played it pretty much my whole life, lived here my whole life and always looked up to the alumni that came from the high school." 

Nathalie: "How fun was it to kind of have it in the family? Did you kind of win some one-on-one battles with your brother ever?" 

Lillian: "Yeah. Well, we're both super competitive, so he always says he's better than me even though he doesn't play anymore. But yeah, it was really fun having another soccer player in the family."

Nathalie: "I'm curious. I mean, it seems like every time I look at a stat line from you, you've had like three goals, four goals in a game. I mean, there was a game you had six goals. What's working for you this season that you're able to do that?"

Lillian: "Well, I give it a lot to my teammates. My teammates always know when to pass, they always know when to shoot. I try to stay humble, have a small head like my coach says and always just give it to the team. It doesn't matter who scores, you're just trying to win a game. Also, my teammates play a big role in my stats, so it's not just about me, it's about the whole team."

Nathalie: "I mean, have you noticed, do defenders play you a little different when you're kind of like scoring that many goals in a game? How are you still creating space out there?"

Lillian: "So, a lot of teams do actually like man mark me, but we have multiple players who can score and that's one thing I really love about my team is that we have all these players that can score. So, it's not just me. Like, when I am getting man marked, we have other players that can go in and put the ball in the back of the net."

Nathalie: "What do you just love about this game so much? What makes it so fun for you?"

Lillian: "I really just like that there's like both team and single player aspects in it. So, like one-vs-one's to keepers, yeah, it's single players, but then also like the talk on the field, the communication with my teammates and like our center backs who always talk on the field and communicate to everybody and then our forwards who can see the goalie and how she's playing as well."

Nathalie: "You know, finally, what, what kind of legacy do you hope to leave here at Southern Boon? I know you still got another season, right, but what kind of legacy do you hope you can leave?"

Lillian: "I just really want like the younger middle schoolers and younger underclassmen to look up to me and how I was as a player on not only on the field but off the field as well. So, it's not just about stats, it's about like your character and how you are portraying yourself on and off the field." 

Nathalie: "Well, Lillian, thanks for hanging out. You guys just went beyond the game with Lillian Brooks."