Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dan Hasko
Unique Journey Prepares Floyd for Unique Season at Murray State
10/13/2020 2:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Of the ten newcomers on the Racer women's soccer roster in 2020, Marti Floyd may have the most unique journey to Murray State. The redshirt sophomore looks to continue her collegiate career after making the transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, which has been just one of the many pit stops along her soccer voyage throughout the years. Originally from Battle Creek, Michigan, Floyd enjoyed a standout high school career at Lakeview High School before getting the rare opportunity to make the jump overseas to trial with Doncaster Rovers Belles, a women's professional club that currently competes in the FA Women's National League Division One Midlands in England.
 "My training growing up was Brazilian centric, and the geographic differences of the game I love so much always interested me. I figured the best way to improve as a player before starting my collegiate career was to spend a year overseas learning as much as I could. I saved up, traveled, and was fortunate enough to trial and get picked up while maintaining an amateur status. I worked hard, learned a lot, and developed relationships that I hope matured me both as a player and person," said Floyd.
Following her stint in Doncaster, Floyd returned to the United States to begin her collegiate career with the University of Pittsburgh where she gained a tremendous amount of experience that she believes equips her with the skill set and knowledge to make an immediate impact at Murray State.Â
"Having a bit of experience under my belt allows me to be confident on the field. Training and competing at the collegiate level demands commitment and the ability to be honest with yourself as well as teammates. The best teammates understand one another's play and communicate the highest expectations every day - even when it's not easy to say or hear. Coming to Murray, that's what I've been trying to do - hold and expect to be held to the highest of standards," she explained. Â Â
While she will have to wait a bit longer than expected to get on the field for competitive matches after the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she is making the most of the extra preparation time on the training ground as the team looks forward to returning to competitive play in the spring of 2021.
"Everyone came in really ready to go so it was definitely a bummer to be delayed, but the extra time has allowed us to best understand how to play together. It's so nice to see it develop and I think we're going to have a really strong season in the spring."
Floyd, who possesses a natural ability to make plays in the attacking third as evidenced by her 38 goals and 30 assists from 2014-16 during her high school days at Lakeview, aspires to make immediate contributions on an already-talented Racer roster.
"I see myself working hard to ensure the success of my teammates and entire program. We are all extremely competitive and hungry to accomplish the goals that we've set for ourselves this year. I'm looking forward to competing for an OVC championship, and really seeing how far we can go!"
That attacking mindset and strong tradition of Racer soccer is really what captured the attention of Floyd, who is set to join a Murray State offense that led the OVC with 2.32 goals per game through all competitions a year ago.
"The coaching staff and administration really drew me to the university; after speaking with them it just felt right. Creative play is very important to me. The coaches really embrace creativity as a team; they have genuine faith in each player and I think that's something special. A legacy is being built with Murray State women's soccer and I certainly did not want to miss the opportunity to contribute."
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 "My training growing up was Brazilian centric, and the geographic differences of the game I love so much always interested me. I figured the best way to improve as a player before starting my collegiate career was to spend a year overseas learning as much as I could. I saved up, traveled, and was fortunate enough to trial and get picked up while maintaining an amateur status. I worked hard, learned a lot, and developed relationships that I hope matured me both as a player and person," said Floyd.
Following her stint in Doncaster, Floyd returned to the United States to begin her collegiate career with the University of Pittsburgh where she gained a tremendous amount of experience that she believes equips her with the skill set and knowledge to make an immediate impact at Murray State. "Having a bit of experience under my belt allows me to be confident on the field. Training and competing at the collegiate level demands commitment and the ability to be honest with yourself as well as teammates. The best teammates understand one another's play and communicate the highest expectations every day - even when it's not easy to say or hear. Coming to Murray, that's what I've been trying to do - hold and expect to be held to the highest of standards," she explained.  Â
While she will have to wait a bit longer than expected to get on the field for competitive matches after the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she is making the most of the extra preparation time on the training ground as the team looks forward to returning to competitive play in the spring of 2021.
"Everyone came in really ready to go so it was definitely a bummer to be delayed, but the extra time has allowed us to best understand how to play together. It's so nice to see it develop and I think we're going to have a really strong season in the spring."
Floyd, who possesses a natural ability to make plays in the attacking third as evidenced by her 38 goals and 30 assists from 2014-16 during her high school days at Lakeview, aspires to make immediate contributions on an already-talented Racer roster.
"I see myself working hard to ensure the success of my teammates and entire program. We are all extremely competitive and hungry to accomplish the goals that we've set for ourselves this year. I'm looking forward to competing for an OVC championship, and really seeing how far we can go!"
That attacking mindset and strong tradition of Racer soccer is really what captured the attention of Floyd, who is set to join a Murray State offense that led the OVC with 2.32 goals per game through all competitions a year ago.
"The coaching staff and administration really drew me to the university; after speaking with them it just felt right. Creative play is very important to me. The coaches really embrace creativity as a team; they have genuine faith in each player and I think that's something special. A legacy is being built with Murray State women's soccer and I certainly did not want to miss the opportunity to contribute."
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Players Mentioned
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