CALEDONIA — Cavaliers soccer standout Aven Matthews will join a soccer powerhouse at the junior college level after signing to play with Northwest Mississippi Community College on Wednesday.
Matthews celebrated with family, friends, coaches and teammates in a ceremony at Caledonia High School, becoming the third Cavalier to join the Rangers in the last two years. She will join former teammates Karianne Reed and Annalyse Chance on the squad.
“She’s been a starter for us for a very long time, and we’re obviously going to miss her when she goes,” Cavaliers head coach Louis Alexander said. “She’s going to a powerhouse at the JUCO level, coming off of a national championship, and even though there is going to be a step up I don’t think she’ll struggle.”
The Rangers finished a perfect 2024 season with a redemptive trip to Huntsville, Ala., for the NJCAA Division II championship. Although they fell short in the title game a year ago, this time around, they capped a dominant MACCC championship with four wins against the nation’s best, defeating Johnson County 2-0 in the championship match.
“It’s great, it just solidifies what we already know around here, that soccer is competitive and we breed the top soccer players in the state,” Alexander said. “Aven, in my opinion, is the best female high school player in the state this year. Maybe I’m biased, but anyone worth their salt who watches her play sees that she jumps off the page.”
Matthews’s ceremony may have taken place in January, but she has been committed to the Rangers since the start of their postseason run in November.
“It was a big factor,” Matthews said of the national championship run. “They’re an incredible team with an incredible coach, and I love the way they play. The style and the intensity was a big factor for me.”
Matthews has another playoff run to worry about now, this one facing Caledonia after another impressive season. The Cavaliers boast a 13-4 overall record and finished top of their district at 5-0. Their 10-game winning streak ended on Tuesday in a defeat at Saltillo, but the group is now focused on their first-round opponents, Senatobia, whom they’ll meet at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“We’re going to go through these playoffs and give it everything,” Matthews said. “It’s our last run, me and the seniors.”
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