After a standout freshman season at North Carolina Wesleyan College, Cydney Nichols is looking to take it to another level for her sophomore year.

It didn’t take long for Nichols to make an impact at the college level as she did in high school. At King’s Fork High School, Nichols was a two-sport standout but chose to go with soccer for college. During her freshman season, she led the team in scoring with 21 total points, which was good for a second team All-Conference accolade.

It was a big season for Nichols, who was just getting her feet wet on the college level. Now heading into her sophomore season, more will probably be expected of her. However, she does not shy away from expectations.

“I’ve honestly felt expectations were always high for me from school to travel,” she said. “I do believe expectations will be high, but I am ready.”

After just a 4-12-1 record last year, Nichols is looking forward to more winning in her sophomore campaign. She knows her team has talent and is looking forward to getting to show it.

“I am looking forward to lots and lots of winning,” she said. “I’ll be back on the field playing the sport I love with some great players.”

One thing Nichols wants to accomplish this season is scoring more goals than she did last season. She scored 10 last season, and believed she could surpass that this season because of the confidence she has built. After making second team All-Conference at forward last season, she is looking forward to getting the first team. Her coaches were undoubtedly impressed with what she was able to do her first year.

“I feel like they were impressed, considering it was my first season and I was able to contribute to matches,” she said. “I believe they are excited about my potential growth over time at NC Wesleyan.”

Initially, the adjustment to the college life and level of soccer was a bit difficult for a short time for Nichols. However, after settling in and adjusting, she started to show some of her potential — the potential she showed at King’s Fork, where she left the school as the all-time leading scorer with more than 100 goals.

Nichols along with her teammates from the 2017 state tournament team have all made impacts in some way in their freshman college seasons. In her last high school season, Nichols was the Conference Player of the Year, and was an All-Region and All-State performer. Her sophomore campaign will start in a little more than a month.