By Michael Lindsay
One of the most decorated girls soccer players in Smith County history made her college plans official recently as she signed with Johnson University’s women’s soccer program.
“This was one of her dreams since 8th grade,” said Smith County head soccer coach Nicholus Bussell. “She leaves a huge impact on our program. Her legacy is going to be more about her goals scored, but I like to acknowledge how good of a leader and teammate she was. She knows the only reason she’s had this opportunity is her team, and she’ll tell you that.”
Felice holds the Smith County career goals record at 129 and was named a THSSCA senior all-star and all-state player this fall. Felice was a two-time District MVP winner and was the district offensive player of the year her junior year. Felice played five years of high school soccer as she moved up and started on varsity as an 8th grader.
“You can’t teach her speed,” said Bussell. “She’s just driven and her soccer IQ is really high; she knows where to attack when you’re vulnerable.”
Johnson University is an NAIA program in Knoxville and competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference
“We had a lot of local schools reaching out to her,” said Bussell. “Johnson was extremely competitive last season, and Aubrey likes to win. It’s a small campus really close to Knoxville, so we can all go watch her. It’s a Christian campus and they’re competitive.”
Smith County went a combined 66-19-6 over her five seasons with 5 district championships, 4 Class A sectional appearances and a 41-0-1 record against district opponents.
“She’s set a foundation and a high standard,” said Bussell. “We have kids all over the county wanting to get better because of her. We had a lot of happy coaches when they realized this was her last year.”
