AOTW: Tipp’s Brooke Shafer wants that one big tourney run

Ed. Note: This week in our Gazette Featured Tipp female returning athlete, welcome in soccer standout Brooke Shafer, ready to close out her career in a big way.

After coming over from Miami East prior to last soccer season, Tippecanoe senior Brooke Shafer finally got to experience the feeling of winning of one thing she was missing in her illustrious soccer career…a league championship.

As the Red Devils girls soccer team finished atop the Miami Valley League, the talented soccer player now looks forward to what she hopes is a very special senior season.

“I’d say my biggest motivator last season was coming in as a transfer, you kind of have that chip that’s like you have something to prove,” Shafer said. “I wanted to make a difference and help the team however I could, and I feel like I did that. I had never won a conference championship prior to coming to Tippecanoe, and it became very apparent that, that is a standard here.”

“Performing in those big rivalries in the conference to secure a league title was certainly a big motivator as well. I was motivated by my faith, family, teammates and coaches immensely and that season would not have been possible without them.”

One of the toughest things for a new student athlete to deal with is the move to a different school. Fortunately, her growth as a Red Devil last year made it an easy transition.

“Transferring schools is never easy, especially coming in as a junior, but that transition was made easy by the people and the culture of the Tipp women’s soccer program,” Shafer said. “I loved my time at Miami East, but I felt this move was right for my future. Thankfully, the team welcomed me like I had always been here and for that I will always be thankful. At no point did I ever feel like “the transfer” and I think that was a major factor into my success on the field. I’m very grateful for Tipp and the teammates I have that are now my best friends.”

Before she takes the field for her senior year, Shafer is finishing up a stellar club career as she prepares for yet another shot at a championship. 

“This summer I’ve been playing with my club team, Club Ohio Dayton, and we have been training and preparing for our third consecutive trip to The US Youth Soccer National Championships,” she said. “This is the biggest event in youth soccer, and I feel like playing club at this level when I’m not playing high school allows me to become better each year I come back. We will be in Florida come July and we hope to have success there.”

“Big shoutout to Meagan Moran and my teammates there for their role in developing me as a player and allowing me to play at the next level. In addition to club, I also train my strength, conditioning, and speed at Vargo Trained here in Tipp where I am trained by Zach Vargo. I definitely would not be the player I am without his training, guidance, and support.”

She really isn’t worried about her individual numbers, even though they are among the best in the conference. It is about a big tournament run for the Red Devils.

“My goal this August is to do whatever I can for my team, whether that’s scoring, assisting, or whatever we need; I want to be able to provide however I can to contribute to our success,” Shafer said. “We haven’t won a district final in a few years, and I think a big goal of ours is to get there and finally win us that title. I’m not worried about the individual stats and accolades; my focus is on team success and winning games. I want to leave Tipp women’s soccer on a high note with my best friends.”

Shafer will continue her career at Division One University of Southern Indiana where she verballed back in February. She is not locked into a major but stated she is looking to do something in the Kinesiology department and give back to the sport of soccer that has given her so much.