Paulson Prepares for Junior Soccer Season at Liberty

Avery Paulson battled through some adversity during her sophomore collegiate soccer season.

Paulson, a 2024 graduate of Fellowship Christian School, fought through a leg injury her sophomore season for the NCAA Division I Liberty University soccer team that required a pair of off-season surgeries.

“I had an injury last year that limited my practice time,” Paulson said. “I had surgery in January and March [2026] on my leg. It was an ongoing nagging injury the last two years actually. It impacted my play in games too. Making it through some games was hard, but I made it through and actually did well. I played some winger and then moved to outside back. It was kind of difficult sometimes due to the pain, but I learned some of life’s lessons and God’s faithfulness. He gave me the strength to get through it.”

Paulson played in 20 games in 2025, including nine starts, and collected two assists, five shots and two shots on goal.

The Lady Flames notched a 14-4-4 record, including a 6-0-2 mark in Conference USA contests, in 2025. Liberty captured the Conference USA Championship and went on to the NCAA Division I Championships.

“We lost at Clemson, 2-1, in the NCAA playoffs,” Paulson said. “It was such a close game. It was tied with about eight minutes left.”

In two seasons at Liberty, she has collected two goals, seven assists, 11 points, 13 shots on goal and 29 shots.

“Making the conference tournament, which we hosted, was a highlight last season,” Paulson said. “Playing at Clemson was cool. We had a lot of fans travel for that game.”

Paulson, a sports management major, has been rehabbing and working out this summer in preparation for her junior season this fall.

“I am preparing for my junior year,” she said. “It’s crazy that I am going into my third year already. I want to help the team win. We have a tough non-conference schedule, so we want to get some [positive] results out of those games. We want to win the conference and get past the first round of the NCAA Championships.”

As a freshman, Paulson ranked among the freshman leaders on the Liberty squad with two goals (second), five assists (tied for first) and nine points (first). Paulson also shared fifth on the team overall in goals, was tied second in assists and ranked fourth in points. That season she played in 21 games, including 15 starts, and took 24 shots and 11 shots on goal for the Lady Flames, who finished 15-2-4 overall and 6-1-2 in Conference USA matches. Paulson helped Liberty reach the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament (a 1-0 loss to FIU in Miami on Nov. 10, 2024).

The Lady Flames received their first-ever national soccer ranking and won a share of the CUSA Regular-Season Championship during the 2024 season.

She played in a career-high 1,143 minutes as a freshman and played 1,013 minutes as a sophomore. She set career highs in games, starts, goals, assists, points, shots and shots on goal as a freshman.

Paulson’s cousin and former FCS teammate Alden Hays are both members of the Liberty team. Hays has spent the first two seasons as a backup goaltender.

“It is so cool to be here together,” Paulson said. “It’s definitely something special.”

Paulson and Hays helped the Lady Paladins capture back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024.

A heavily recruited player out of Fellowship, Paulson had a memorable career at Fellowship. She was a four-year starter at Fellowship and was named to the All-State First Team three times.

During her Fellowship career, the two-time FCS team captain was named

the 2A Girls Player of the Year and the Girls Soccer National Player of the Year by the National Christian School Athletic Association and was selected to the 2024 All-Atlantic Region first team by the United Soccer Coaches Association.

(Photos courtesy of Avery Paulson, Liberty University website)