By CHRISSY SMITH
Slidell sportswriter

SLIDELL — Lauren Bartholomay, the only senior starter for the Northshore Lady Panthers soccer team, signed with the University of Southern Mississippi last week on National Signing Day.
Bartholomay was contacted by USM midway through her junior year after she went to a showcase tournament.
Southern Miss wasn’t the only Division-I school who was interested in the Northshore soccer player. McNeese, University of South Alabama and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was also in contact with Bartholomay.
“I visited USA and McNeese, but I felt a lot more welcomed at USM and the commute was better,”?Bartholomay said. “My parents didn’t push me any way, but they wanted me to be closer to home if I could.”
Along with playing at NHS, Bartholomay played for the Mandeville Premier, and several girls from that team have gone on to play at USM.
Bartholomay will probably play a defensive position in college, where she has excelled at in high school.
“Through the Mandeville Premier I’ve been able to be prepared for college. I’m nervous about keeping my grades up since I’ll be a little fish in a big pond, but I’m mostly excited,”?Bartholomay said.
The 17-year-old led her team defensively in last week’s 3-0 playoff win over Westgate.
“I felt we dominated. We had a couple flashes of brilliance and we have to keep it up,” Bartholomay said.
The senior’s head coach, Jeff Dunlap, couldn’t say enough good things about Bartholomay.
“I think Lauren will fit in wonderfully at USM because she fits their style of play. She is such a talented player and a great leader. She will have no problem transitioning from high school to college.
“She’s made one B in high school. She’s a very well-rounded student-athlete. Lauren expects the best out of herself at all times, and she works incredibly hard through her studies and on and off the practice field.
“When we finish our training in the afternoon, she goes to Cross Gates to work out more. She’s been captain for two years here and leads by example, and the girls respond to her. She is a tremendous leader. It’s hard to really nail it down to one or two things. She’s the heart of this team,”?Dunlap said.