Indiana University Athletics
The Right Fit – Lockwood Brings What IU Women’s Soccer Needs
7/6/2020 1:16:00 PM | Women's Soccer
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Avery Lockwood has an Olympic dream. Can you blame her? You play soccer at an elite college level, as this Indiana sophomore midfielder does, and you want the big prize.
In this case, that would be making the U.S. National Team, which also happens to be a world-beating juggernaut.
Lockwood isn't there yet, but you can't make it if you don't believe it.
Lockwood believes. More than that, she knows what's required.
"It's consistency," she says. "It's the knowledge of the game. At the intense moments of the game, how quickly can you make the right decisions? How ahead of the person you're playing against are you?
"Once you get to the highest level, it's not a matter of skill. Everyone has skill, speed and athleticism. It's the decision making that puts players above each other."
Indiana coach Erwin van Bennekom pushes that message hard in his quest to build a championship program, and student-athletes like Avery have bought into that.
"Avery is a very good player," he says, "her mindset is up there with the best in the country."
"We don't want players who are just coming to be part of a team, have a good time and see if they can win some games.
"We want players like Avery who are committed to improving themselves, developing and striving to be successful. In addition to her talent as a player, her mental components and her attitude make her successful."
Beyond that, van Bennekom adds, "She loves the game. She loves to learn. She loves to work."
The second-year coach's little-things-matter approach seems perfectly suited for Lockwood.
"He points out small things I hadn't noticed before," she says. "It will raise my game to the next level.
"It's one thing to tell someone this is what you need to fix, but to be there to guide them along the way and show them how to make those changes and improvements, you can't beat it."
Lockwood's freshman performance backed that up. She made the Big Ten all-freshman team while leading the Hoosiers in scoring with five goals and three assists. That included game-winning goals at Illinois and at Michigan State.
As a result, she's made the Big Ten Preseason Watch list. She and senior defender Allison Jorden were recently named team captains.
"I committed to Indiana because of Erwin's soccer philosophy. I felt I could learn so much about the game. That intrigued me".
"He was very straight forward about everything, which I really appreciated. Not every coach is. That was super comforting to know exactly where I stood."
An added bonus -- Bloomington is within driving range for her Michigan-based family.
So, Lockwood came to IU, thrived, and braced for an even better sophomore season.
Then the pandemic hit in March, and the world seemed to shut down.
Like all college athletes, Lockwood was forced to leave school and train on her own. That has continued for the last several months, although her summer team did recently resume practicing.
Workouts consisted of running, individual work and lifting weights at a small gym in a neighbor's garage.
"Luckily I had that. Otherwise, it's been very individual."
She chuckles.
"It's a little lonely at times."
Lonely or not, Lockwood went full bore with the training plan van Bennekom provided.
"Before we went home," Lockwood says, "he told me things to work on individually. This is the best time to work on it. It's the skill aspects of the game."
The quest for workout partners led to her parents Debbie and Matt (a former Michigan State baseball player), and brother Alec (a baseball player at Aquinas College).
"My parents will help in the backyard sometimes. I have my mom stand as a target while I work on a good, driven ball. She's pretty good."
As for dad, well, not so much.
"He'll pass to me, but he has a terrible left foot, so I like to watch that," she says with a laugh. "It's a little comic relief."
The plan is for her to return to Bloomington for team training after the July 4 holiday.
One thing is clear -- Lockwood's drive for excellence isn't all consuming. Perspective comes from Norman, her Labradoodle dog.
"I love to spend time with him. He's a stress relief. He doesn't care about how I perform in soccer. He doesn't mind if I have a bad game."
She also has taken advantage of time at home to sharpen her cooking skills. She's switched to a plant-based diet. Her specialty is a "mean black-bean enchilada."
"I put sweet potatoes in there with quinoa, spinach and red onion. You wouldn't miss the meat at all."
That it comes from a Cream 'n Crimson foundation, she adds, makes all the difference.
"It all worked out for the best. I love it."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Avery Lockwood has an Olympic dream. Can you blame her? You play soccer at an elite college level, as this Indiana sophomore midfielder does, and you want the big prize.
In this case, that would be making the U.S. National Team, which also happens to be a world-beating juggernaut.
Lockwood isn't there yet, but you can't make it if you don't believe it.
Lockwood believes. More than that, she knows what's required.
"It's consistency," she says. "It's the knowledge of the game. At the intense moments of the game, how quickly can you make the right decisions? How ahead of the person you're playing against are you?
"Once you get to the highest level, it's not a matter of skill. Everyone has skill, speed and athleticism. It's the decision making that puts players above each other."
Indiana coach Erwin van Bennekom pushes that message hard in his quest to build a championship program, and student-athletes like Avery have bought into that.
"Avery is a very good player," he says, "her mindset is up there with the best in the country."
"We don't want players who are just coming to be part of a team, have a good time and see if they can win some games.
"We want players like Avery who are committed to improving themselves, developing and striving to be successful. In addition to her talent as a player, her mental components and her attitude make her successful."
Beyond that, van Bennekom adds, "She loves the game. She loves to learn. She loves to work."
The second-year coach's little-things-matter approach seems perfectly suited for Lockwood.
"He points out small things I hadn't noticed before," she says. "It will raise my game to the next level.
"It's one thing to tell someone this is what you need to fix, but to be there to guide them along the way and show them how to make those changes and improvements, you can't beat it."
Lockwood's freshman performance backed that up. She made the Big Ten all-freshman team while leading the Hoosiers in scoring with five goals and three assists. That included game-winning goals at Illinois and at Michigan State.
As a result, she's made the Big Ten Preseason Watch list. She and senior defender Allison Jorden were recently named team captains.
"I committed to Indiana because of Erwin's soccer philosophy. I felt I could learn so much about the game. That intrigued me".
"He was very straight forward about everything, which I really appreciated. Not every coach is. That was super comforting to know exactly where I stood."
An added bonus -- Bloomington is within driving range for her Michigan-based family.
So, Lockwood came to IU, thrived, and braced for an even better sophomore season.
Then the pandemic hit in March, and the world seemed to shut down.
Like all college athletes, Lockwood was forced to leave school and train on her own. That has continued for the last several months, although her summer team did recently resume practicing.
Workouts consisted of running, individual work and lifting weights at a small gym in a neighbor's garage.
"Luckily I had that. Otherwise, it's been very individual."
She chuckles.
"It's a little lonely at times."
Lonely or not, Lockwood went full bore with the training plan van Bennekom provided.
"Before we went home," Lockwood says, "he told me things to work on individually. This is the best time to work on it. It's the skill aspects of the game."
The quest for workout partners led to her parents Debbie and Matt (a former Michigan State baseball player), and brother Alec (a baseball player at Aquinas College).
"My parents will help in the backyard sometimes. I have my mom stand as a target while I work on a good, driven ball. She's pretty good."
As for dad, well, not so much.
"He'll pass to me, but he has a terrible left foot, so I like to watch that," she says with a laugh. "It's a little comic relief."
The plan is for her to return to Bloomington for team training after the July 4 holiday.
One thing is clear -- Lockwood's drive for excellence isn't all consuming. Perspective comes from Norman, her Labradoodle dog.
"I love to spend time with him. He's a stress relief. He doesn't care about how I perform in soccer. He doesn't mind if I have a bad game."
She also has taken advantage of time at home to sharpen her cooking skills. She's switched to a plant-based diet. Her specialty is a "mean black-bean enchilada."
"I put sweet potatoes in there with quinoa, spinach and red onion. You wouldn't miss the meat at all."
That it comes from a Cream 'n Crimson foundation, she adds, makes all the difference.
"It all worked out for the best. I love it."
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
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