Melissa Smith had the opportunity to attend a larger college in a city with more of a social life and greater professional possibilities.

Her talents on the soccer field garnered scholarship offers from Florida State and Auburn universities. But Smith’s appreciation for life’s simpler things landed her at LaGrange College – and she couldn’t be happier for it.

Now the 2001 graduate of Morgan Academy is taking on the challenges of a double major while playing soccer for the college located approximately 45 minutes west of Auburn.

“I wanted a smaller, more intimate environment where I could concentrate on my soccer and my studies,” said Smith, now a senior at LaGrange College. “I wanted a leadership position, where I could be more involved with the team’s improvement.”

“I could have gone to Auburn,” added Smith, daughter of Bill and Sylvia Smith. “But if I went there, it would have been like the 13th grade for me. Everyone I knew from high school went to Auburn.

“The environment at LaGrange is just so close,” Smith continued. “There are no boundaries between anyone. You don’t have to worry about anyone stealing from you or trying to hurt you.”

Security at school has given Smith peace of mind, even if life at LaGrange hasn’t exactly been exciting. However, she said that she travels to Auburn whenever possible.

“It gets kind of boring here sometimes because there’s not much to do,” she said. “But my boyfriend lives in Atlanta, so I see him when we’re both free.”

Smith transferred to Morgan Academy from Indian Springs Academy in Birmingham for her junior year. She was a member of the Indian Springs soccer team while also playing soccer for the Montgomery YMCA. She also played club soccer in Atlanta during the summer months.

“I learned to step up and play not as an individual, but more as a team,” Smith said. “When I’m not capable of going 100 percent, I put that out of my mind and keep going.”

Although her opportunities to enjoy a social life have declined immensely, Smith said her classroom and work have kept her extremely busy.

“I don’t miss the social aspect of the big city too much,” Smith added. “I still go to Auburn and see my friends when I don’t have a Saturday game.”

This soccer season hasn’t been an easy one thus far for Smith nor her teammates. As of late last week, LaGrange College was off to an 0-2-2 start following back-to-back ties with Emory and Henry University and Atlanta Christian College.

“We should have never played the game against Emory and Henry,” Smith said. “It was raining and flooding so bad that it turned into a situation where you would kick the ball and it would stay in the puddle. It was horrible.”

The soccer ball may not have advanced much that day, but Smith has progressed just fine at LaGrange. She currently holds a double major in Biochemistry and Psychology, and has maintained a 3.74 grade-point average. Smith was named to the Gulf South Athletic Conference All-Academic Team as a sophomore and junior. She also was named to the GSAC All-Freshman Team.

On the soccer field, Smith tied for the team lead with eight goals as a junior midfielder. She had the team’s best shooting percentage at .308 and was selected as the team’s best offensive player.

When she graduates from LaGrange College next May, her immediate plans include medical school – preferably in Alabama.

“Medical school costs around $7,000 a year in Alabama, compared to $37,000 a year out of state,” she said. “Plus it gets too cold up north. I couldn’t deal with the snow.”