Buckley Heads into Second Season of Collegiate Soccer

Fellowship Christian School graduate Caroline Buckley has prepared all summer for her second season of NCAA Division II collegiate soccer at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Fall camp begins for the Tritons on Aug. 9. The team will have a couple of scrimmages before opening the season on Aug. 27 at home against Middle Georgia State University of Macon, Ga.

“It was a really good first season there,” said Buckley, a 2024 FCS graduate. “We finished second in the regular season in the conference. Our conference is really competitive, and arguably one of the strongest in Division II. One big highlight was a win over Florida Tech [1-0 win at home on Oct. 25].”

Nova Southeastern finished first in the Sunshine State Conference regular-season standings with a 7-0-3 record, followed by Eckerd (6-2-2) and Florida Tech (5-2-3). Overall, the Tritons finished 7-5-5. The team tied Rollins College, 1-1, in the SSC quarterfinals, but Rollins advanced 4-3 in PKs.

Buckley, a 5-foot-9 defender, played in four games as a freshman, including one start, and took one shot on goal. Her first collegiate start came on Nov. 4 at Georgia College and State University. She switched to defense after playing midfield in high school.

“The speed of play was a lot different in college,” Buckley said. “I would say that Fellowship and my club team [GSA] really prepared me well for college soccer. The coaches here are excellent. They are nice and I couldn’t ask for better coaches or teammates. Now that I have played one year I want to earn a starting spot.”

Buckley fondly looks back on her basketball and soccer careers at Fellowship, especially helping the Lady Paladins capture back-to-back state soccer championships. She served as a team captain and is a former All-Region player at FCS.

“It was such a great experience, and so much fun,” Buckley said. “Coach [Andy] Trevers made a huge impact on my life. It’s always nice to have a coach who cares. I really enjoyed my time at Fellowship.”

A biology major, Buckley really enjoys spending the school year in Saint Petersburg.

“It’s a great campus, and we are right near the beach,” she said. “The classes are great and playing soccer here is great. There are no divisions on this team. The coaches have created a great culture.”

The Tritons have set some strong goals for 2026.

“We want to win conference and make a deep run in the playoffs,” she said. “And hopefully win it all!”

(Photos courtesy of eckerdtritons.com and Caroline Buckley)