Bido embraces position switch

Published 10:12 pm Friday, August 9, 2019

Former Lady Bulldog soccer standout Ashley Bido is looking forward to her redshirt freshman season at the University of North Carolina—Greensboro.

After redshirting her freshman season, Bido is hoping to see the field more this season. She went through a position change on the field, and as she continues to get more comfortable with it, she hopes that leads to a successful campaign.

“I’m personally very excited to officially be back on the field,” Bido said. “I went through a position change, so I spent last year learning my new position, so I’m just coming into this year really confident.”

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Bido switched from center back to the center-mid position. The initial movement on the field between the two positions isn’t steep. However, Bido believes it is more about changing her mindset from one position to another. Coming into this season more confident, Bido hopes to push herself to the limits on the field and, in turn, hopes it brings some positive results.

“I am just aiming to be the best version of myself,” Bido said. “As a player, I want to push myself to limits I didn’t imagine being possible. I’d also like to put a couple in the net for my team and maybe even gain conference recognition.”

The former Lady Bulldog has been working on her technical skills and fitness for the possibility of having a bigger role this season. Adjusting to the speed of the game at the NCAA Division I level is important, and Bido knows in order to stay on the field, she has to be well conditioned.

She admitted she has already learned being part of a Division I soccer program isn’t easy, and she has learned some things about herself. She knows it is more mental than physical and is thankful for her teammates for being encouraging as well.

“It’s definitely been a rollercoaster to this point,” she said. “Some days, you feel like giving up starting out, but the support system here is incredible. I think having that bond with my teammates because we are all going through the same things has been a reason why I work as hard as I do.”

Exhibitions get under way next week for UNCG, with the season officially starting in two weeks. Last year, the team took home a conference title.

While at King’s Fork, Bido was an All-Conference, All-Region and All-State selection. During the 2017 season, she helped King’s Fork to a Conference 17 championship and a runner-up finish in the region. During that same season, she helped the Lady Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the state tournament, falling a couple of minutes short of a state title game appearance.