South has found a new soccer star in sophomore Gaelle Wells. This past season, she scored 28 goals, breaking the previous single-season record of 26 goals. Wells also led the Panthers to the 2017-18 IHSSA Class 3A Girls Soccer Regional Championships, gained all-conference honors, and was named the Herald Times Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
Girls soccer coach Ian Rickerby noted that Wells has had a massive impact on the team, stating that the Panthers “would not have won several games had it not been for her ability to outrun defenders and score.”
Additionally, Rickerby explained that it was no surprise when Wells broke the single-season goals record. “[Wells] has an extra something that many do not, be it simply speed, agility on the ball, dribbling power, a strong shot with either foot, or just a predatory killer instinct,” Rickerby said.
Rickerby is very optimistic for Wells and the team as a whole next year, and he believes that the Panthers can “win the state championship, and everything along the way.” He went so far as to predict that “Gaelle [will break] her own scoring record and get a full-ride offer to play at the University of Florida.”
Prior to the start of the season, Wells set some goals that she believed would be realistic measurements for her season’s success.“I wanted to score 20 goals, and we said that we wanted to go as far as we can,” Wells said. She added that setting goals for herself “expands her game,” and that she is “very competitive.” Wells has interest in playing collegiately and has received multiple offers as a sophomore, but she is still weighing her options, and overall hopes to go as far as she can in soccer.
All in all, the future looks very bright for Wells and the Panthers.
