The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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  • (Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen) Southeast Whitfield soccer player Christian Lopez, in blazer, is congratulated by teammates at his college signing ceremony Thursday morning at the school.

    s-lopez signs at SEHS 1 mlh.jpg

  • (Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen) Southeast Whitfield senior soccer player Christian Lopez signed a scholarship with Tennessee Wesleyan on Thursday at the high school. Front row from left, Martin Lopez, father; Esperanaz Caldéron, mother; Lopez; Andrew Lopez, brother; back row, Tennessee Wesleyan coach Stephen Lyons, Southeast coach Jamison Griffin, Southeast athletic director Scott Ramsey.

    s-lopez signs at SEHS 2 mlh.jpg

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February 2, 2012

Reason to smile: Southeast's Lopez signs soccer scholarship

By Devin Golden devingolden@daltoncitizen.com

Southeast Whitfield senior Christian Lopez lived up to his nickname as he began writing the next chapter of his athletic and academic career.

The Raiders soccer player was all smiles Thursday morning at the high school as he signed with Tennessee Wesleyan College. He’ll attend on a combination athletic/federal aid scholarship that covers around 50 percent of the tuition, Tennessee Wesleyan coach Stephen Lyons said.

Lopez, who was born in California and moved to the Dalton area when he was 3, scored 12 goals and had six assists as a junior, when he started more than half the games. His season was cut short when he suffered an injury, but he returned to help lead the Raiders to the Class 3A state semifinals.

He’s referred to as “Sunshine” by his teammates, and Southeast soccer coach Jamison Griffin attributed the nickname to his cheerful attributes.

“He’s always smiling,” Griffin said.

Thursday was no different. Lopez grinned from ear to ear, and his fellow Raiders soccer players shouted the nickname to him before and as he signed.

“I don’t really know where it comes from,” Lopez said. “It was just something that started when I was a freshman.”

Lopez received scholarship offers from Tennessee Wesleyan, Bryan College and Reinhardt University, all NAIA programs. Ultimately, he liked the feeling he got when he visited Tennessee Wesleyan and felt like he was already “on the team.”

“I feel like it is the right decision for me,” Lopez said “... When I went, they treated me like I was already on the team. They were very friendly with me.”

Lopez is an attacking center midfielder in the Raiders’ 4-4-2 formation. Tennessee Wesleyan uses a 4-5-1 formation with two attacking center midfielders. Griffin considers him a team leader, and Lopez has a lot of experience on the field from being a varsity player since he was a freshman.

“There is a leadership council on our team, and it is made up of seven guys,” Griffin said. “He is on the council and has been for three years. His leadership style is quiet, but he does the right things on the field and off the field.”

That made a difference to Tennessee Wesleyan coaches.

“Whenever we recruit players, we look at what they do on the field and off the field,” Lyons said to those in attendance at the signing ceremony. “So we kind of see how they interact, along with how they play. ... I have no doubt that Christian will improve to be a very good college player.”

Lopez scored a 26 on his ACT, one of the highest on the Raiders soccer team, Griffin said. He also has maintained a better than 3.0 GPA.

Tennessee Wesleyan, located in Athens, Tenn., competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs went 14-5 overall and 5-2 in AAC play in 2011. They held a national NAIA ranking of 24th at one point during the season and had 12 seniors on their 38-player roster, with only two senior starters last season.

“If you’re good enough, then you play,” Lyons said when asked about the possibility of Lopez getting a lot of early playing time. “We don’t do it by freshman or senior.”

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