By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Two of the top players from Thompson High School’s successful girls’ soccer team will take their talents to the next step after they committed to play at a pair of Alabama colleges.

THS soccer player Lauren Mayer signed to play with the University of Alabama at Huntsville and team goalie Molly Morris inked a scholarship with Huntingdon College in Montgomery during a Feb. 3 National Signing Day ceremony in the THS library.

During the ceremony, the players were surrounded by coaches, friends, family members and school officials.

“Lauren and Molly have worked extremely hard to get to this point, and today we get to see them realize their dream,” said THS Principal Dr. Wesley Hester. “Girls, this is your day and you need to be proud and just soak it all in, because this is a very special time.”

THS soccer coach Nathan Button praised the girls for playing a significant role in the team’s success over the past several years.

“Their commitment, their sacrifice, their passion is the reason our team has had so much success and why they, too, have had such personal success,” Button said. “Combined, both of them have a team record of 48-19. With them on the field, we have won the Birmingham metro tournament in back-to-back years, and we’ve been ranked in the top 10 each year they’ve been on the team. We’ve made the playoffs each year they’ve been a part of our program.”

Mayer, who has been on the team since she was in eighth grade, has scored seven goals and five assists as a defender, and Morris, who has been on the team since ninth grade, has recorded 334 saves throughout her career.

“Lauren is one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met in my life. I think she’s proven herself again and again, and she’s just turned into a fantastic player,” Button said. “Molly is our goalkeeper, and she is a commanding presence on the field. Somehow, she always finds the right angle to make an amazing save at the last second.

“As they begin their transition into their next stage of life, we hope that they’ve taken with them a strong foundation from being here at Thompson,” Button added.