A small town in South Jersey is where it all began for Carli Lloyd. The Delran native set out on her journey to becoming one of the greatest names in soccer.
Lloyd's early dedication and hard work on the journey translated to a standout career at Delran High School, propelling her to an illustrious career at Rutgers University.
During her time "On the Banks" from 2001-04, the midfielder garnered All-America recognition twice, All-Region status four times, and BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year accolades. All while etching her name at No. 1 all-time in the Rutgers career record books in points (117) and goals (50), as well as points (37) and goals (15) on the single-season charts.
Lloyd, however, put on the Scarlet Knight uniform without any focus on individual success. She arrived with a drive to put her home state's university on the map.
"The individual achievements weren't something that I was focusing on," said Carli Lloyd. "I got to know a lot of the older players at Rutgers because I was playing on an Under-23 team with them – some of players those included Keri Lages, Tiffany Williams, Christine Caldwell and Colleen Caldwell. I felt a level of comfort in knowing that they were there and I knew them. They were excited for the possibility of me coming.
"For me it was a decision to obviously be close to home. It was about an hour away from my house, but still far enough to feel like I was away at college. If I needed to pop home on short notice, I was able to travel down, which was convenient. And my friends and family could still come and watch me play. I knew it was an up and coming program and I was always a player who liked a challenge. It was something special to be in New Jersey and help turn the program around versus going to an already named big school out of state."
Lloyd did exactly that. She hit the ground running her freshman season, racking up 15 goals and seven assists en route to being named an NSCAA All-American and the program's first-ever BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. One of the nation's best rookies would go on to guide the program to the Sweet Sixteen in what was the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2001.
This set the precedent for her the following three seasons, recording 12 goals and seven assists in 2002 and becoming a two-time All-American. That same year she was also a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the highest accolade for a collegiate soccer player. The midfielder's consistent play helped RU to another NCAA bid in 2003, when Lloyd notched 13 goals and 28 points. Lloyd wrapped her career as a Scarlet Knight with another multi-goal season, being named the 2004 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year.
Just as Lloyd had hoped, the Rutgers name was on the map and a foundation for national prominence was established. The program has since gone on the gain national exposure as a perennial contender, competing in eight of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments.
"Prior to [the NCAA runs], we were developing so many talented players in New Jersey and many of them were going out of state, they weren't really looking at Rutgers. To have gone [to Rutgers] and to have helped play a part in putting Rutgers on the map, it was more enticing for many of the homegrown players to go there. It's obviously a great school academically too," said Lloyd.
"Getting to the NCAAs those two seasons was a huge deal. I think it helped for future recruitment and put a stamp in Rutgers history. It allowed a lot of those players to want to be able to go there to compete and play."
While Lloyd helped shift Jersey born players to stay home, the current roster boasts 20 Jersey natives, the Garden state product herself went on to represent the state globally. Lloyd stands as the U.S. Women's National Team's all-time leading scorer midfielder, scoring goals that rang around the world.
Many can vividly remember her gold-medal-winning goal vs. Brazil at the 2008 Olympics, as well as her two-goal performance in the gold-medal victory vs. Japan the 2012 London Olympics. Overall, Lloyd doubled her collegiate total of 50 goals to over 100 international goals for Team USA.
While her long-range goal to add to her hat trick in the 2015 World Cup Final victory stands out as one of the top sports highlights in history, Lloyd still reminisces on a few of her goals at RU and statement victories for the program.
"There are two moments I remember vividly. The first was a doubleheader match versus Notre Dame my freshman year. It was under the lights. Notre Dame was a powerhouse and we beat them," said Lloyd. "It was one of my fondest memories at Yurcak.
The rookie scored both of RU's goals in the 2-1 victory at home, adding one in from long-range as well against the Fighting Irish. Another special memory was the team's victory over No. 12 Santa Clara in 2004, sticking out as one of the bigger name schools the Scarlet Knights topped.
Whether it be a long-range goal that came as a pivotal moment in RU's journey to becoming a national powerhouse or that helped guide Team USA to record third World Cup title, Lloyd finds it surreal to be among the greats from New Jersey.
"Tiny little New Jersey has produced some great athletes. Rutgers has produced some phenomenal athletes as well. It is cool to be amongst some of the other amazing athletes who have come out of the state. It speaks volumes about our state and for me being closer to Philadelphia, kind of having that chip on your shoulder, blue collar work ethic mentality of trying to prove people wrong and work extremely hard to get to the top," said Lloyd.
This mentality helped push Lloyd through the adversity during her career. Being an inspiration and role model to help grow the next generation of players who are going through similar troubles or struggling to fight hardships is important to Lloyd. The midfielder inspires not only New Jersey players, but players around the world.
"Being a role model has always been in the back of my mind. Never switching off, working hard 100% of the time no matter who is watching and most of the time with no one watching," said Lloyd. "I have wanted to stay true to myself. To have this image that despite coming from a small town in New Jersey and having all these people think that I couldn't get to this point, that through hard work, perseverance and dedication the sky is the limit. You can carve out your own path no matter what you go through."
Lloyd also attributes her time "On the Banks" to helping pave the way as she carved out her path.
"Rutgers has played a huge role in who I am today as a player and as a person. I forged so many relationships with people. I still keep in touch with so many of my teammates and roommates. The coaching staff with Glenn [Crooks] and Mike [O'Neill], they helped pave the way. They allowed me to be myself and to try different things and go through that journey of coming into my own."
The journey has led her to a historic career with the U.S. Women's National Team, becoming a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a FIFA Women's World Cup Champion and a back-to-back FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. While currently training for the 2019 World Cup with Team USA, Lloyd was happy to return home for this part of her career, playing for the NWSL's New Jersey based Sky Blue FC this past season.
"It's all come full circle. I've traveled the world. I've played on many different professional teams. I've been away with the national team," said Lloyd. "To be able to close up my career here and come home to my husband, Brian, and our home every night is something that I haven't been able to do much of during my career. I am almost living a somewhat normal life! To be able to play for Sky Blue FC back at my alma mater and at Yurcak Field, it brings back a lot of memories. It's a surreal moment to be able to tie everything together to close out my career."
Lloyd's storied career has left a lasting legacy on Rutgers and the sport itself around the world. This legacy will officially be cemented into history with her induction into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame this October.
"It's going to be good to be back. I have had some training sessions at Rutgers with Sky Blue this past season and to see the changes that Rutgers has made, it's a pretty unbelievable school now. It'll be good to see familiar faces. Enjoy the night. Enjoy the football game. Make the whole weekend about Rutgers, which is great," said Lloyd.
"It's a huge, tremendous honor and a massive recognition. I can't believe how long I've been out of college now. Life is moving by pretty quickly. I enjoyed my four years at Rutgers, so to be celebrating this amongst all the other Hall of Fame inductees is going to be a very special evening with my friends and family. I am looking forward to a great weekend and truly honored to be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Fame."
