Niceville's Valloch signs with Mercer

By JARED MACARIN

jaredm@nwfdailynews.com

Cagney Valloch has been a mainstay for the Niceville girls soccer team in goal the past few seasons.

Now, the senior goalie will take her talents to the next level at Mercer.

Valloch will sign her national letter-of-intent today at the school, becoming the second Eagle this season to sign with a Division I program. Ronnie Wolfkeil previously signed with the University of Alabama.

"I never thought I'd be going to a Division I school for soccer," Valloch said. "But I was given the opportunity and I'm taking it. I'm just excited."

Mercer is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bears reached the conference championship game last year for the first time.

Valloch was on the Eagles' varsity team for four years, starting the last three. In her time, Niceville went to the Class 5A regional semifinals once, the regional finals once and the state semifinals twice.

This year in the regional finals, Valloch came up big in a shootout with two saves to help Niceville advance to the state semifinals for the second straight year.

"I'm excited for her," Niceville coach Michael Denton said. "She strives off competition. She is serious about her job as the goalie and worked to improve."

Valloch said she was happy to finally know where she is headed after she graduates later this month.

"It's relieving to finally know and be able to tell people where I'm going and to like where I am going," she said. "I wanted a school where the academics were up to a high standard. (Mercer) filled that qualification and the soccer program is organized and that's the type of program I need to develop more."