Spotlight on Former Athlete: Lindsay Webb Cockrell – Soccer 2003-06

Webb welcomes third child, who waits on Harvey first

By Bruce Brown

Athletic Network

HUFFMAN, Texas – Lindsay Webb may have a smart one on her hands.

 

Webb, who served as team captain for women’s soccer at UL in her 2006 senior campaign, was expecting her third child with husband Micah Cockrell, a former Ragin’ Cajun baseball player.

 

Trouble was, Hurricane Harvey was also expected to arrive in the Houston area about the same time as the newest Cockrell.

 

But Cooper apparently decided he’d wait out the storm before making his entrance.

 

“We were actually fine,” Webb said. “We were concerned, because there were two roads leading to the hospital and one of them was closed. My due date was when Harvey was supposed to come in.

 

“So we stayed with a friend, to make sure we could get to the hospital. But Cooper waited a week before coming, so we were fine. I guess it was warm and cozy in there and he wasn’t ready.”

 

Perhaps Cooper was just smart enough to dodge the storm. Either way, the young couple has a tale for the family for years.

 

Already on the roster were Brooks, 5, who not surprisingly has been playing soccer for 3 years already, and daughter Paisley, 2 ½, “who’s probably going to be the soccer player,” according to her mom.

 

Married since 2008, Webb teaches first grade when not on maternity leave. Micah, who was on UL’s 48-19 Sun Belt Conference champions in 2005, is in the applied medical sales field.

 

They lived in Lafayette for 2 years, then Katy, Texas, for 5, before moving to Huffman. The two met as Ragin’ Cajun athletes.

 

“When you play sports in college, there’s not really a lot of time for other things,” Webb said. “You tend to hang out with other athletes, who have sort of the same schedule as you do.”

 

Webb started 72 matches in four years at UL, the first two years under coach Dave Poggi and the final two under current coach Scott Wieland. During that time the fledgling Cajun program went 6-13-1, 7-10-2, 4-10-3 and 8-8-4, gradually growing in respect.

 

It was Webb whose game-winning goal beat Troy 1-0 in overtime to put UL at 8-7-3 in 2006. The Cajuns tied UL Monroe 0-0 in two overtimes, then fell 5-1 to North Texas as hosts of the Sun Belt Tournament to finish 8-8-4. But players like Webb set the tone for UL’s first winning campaign in 2007.

 

“I remember winning one game on a penalty kick, but now all those games tend to run together,” Webb said. “Micah can remember details about his games, and I ask him, ‘How can you do that?’ He tells me, ‘I just do.’ ”

 

Webb was second on the 2006 team with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists) to 15 from Courtney Hofland, one year after earning honorable mention All-Louisiana notice.

 

“I enjoyed playing in college,” Webb said. “We had such a group of friends on our club team, I assumed it would be like that, and it was. You room with them, play with them, compete with them. It was like a sorority of sorts.

 

“Older players helped younger players when they came in. Ashley Delahoussaye did that.”

 

Webb counts Meghan Crawford, Ainsley Breaux and Meredith Meche as friends to this day, adding, “some of them live around each other.”

 

“Coach Poggi was how my career started, definitely,” Webb said. “He understood the style I played with. Coach Wieland saw me more as a leader. Our focus with him was working more with the team.”

 

At Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas, Webb won four district titles and helped the school to the state semifinals and a 29-2 record in 2003, when she had 12 goals and 14 assists.

 

Webb was All-State, as well as District Defensive MVP that year, and was twice on the district’s all-defensive team.

 

“I started playing when I was 7 or 8 years old,” Webb said. “My best friend next door was playing, so my dad said we could try it. Eventually, in middle school, I had to choose between soccer and volleyball. That was true for a couple other girls, too.

 

“Around my junior year, I started to realize I might have a chance to play in college. I switched club teams, and the coach started to sort of promote us to college coaches.

 

“(Teammate) Lindsay Schwind and I had a good visit to UL. I had family in Lafayette, and that was really nice. I enjoyed their cooking. I’m a picky eater. You don’t realize until you come back how much you miss the food.”

 

The dye was cast, a challenge answered.

 

“You always ask yourself, ‘Am I good enough to play?’ ” Webb said. “My club coach had played for Arkansas, and she said I should try. So I went with it.

 

“My strength was, I was pretty good at anticipating what was coming. I knew what others would do with the ball. I was not one of the most skillful players, but I was a really hard worker.

 

“I was always more confident playing defense. I played more midfield toward the end.”

 

Most college athletes will assert that both studying and athletics are full-time occupations, adding to the challenge.

 

“Whoever did our scheduling did a good job of putting us with professors who were used to having athletes in their classes,” Webb said. “As long as you kept up with your responsibilities, you were fine. It was part of the job. In high school, you didn’t play if you didn’t make your grades. It was the same in college.

 

“You definitely have to make time to study, and turn things in on time, if not early.”

 

As their children grow and become interested in sports, Lindsay and Micah are planning on expecting similar balance.

 

“I didn’t start out super young,” Webb said. “We don’t want to force it on them. As long as they’re doing something worthwhile – sports or whatever – we just want them to have fun, enjoy it and be successful.”

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Pictured below is the 2005 Soccer Team.

 

2005 Lady Cajun Soccer Team – L-R: Kneeling – Ainsley Breaux, Kristina Nadolski, Meghan Crawford, Kat Bergeron, Erika Saffer, Jennifer Hungate, Rachel Rozelle, Lindsay Schwind; Middle Row – Coach Scot Wieland,Kerri Luyties, Stephanie Lynch, Lyndsey Winters, Erin Thompson, Meredith Smith, Heather Ulliman, Carling Jackson, Erin Suckling, Dannae DeVahl, Asst. Coach Trevor Wiley; Back Row – Bridgette Adorno, Taunya Geelhoed, Callie Oliver, Kara Otero, Anna Brannon, Stephanie Weston, Kristen Malen, Kala Polman-Tuin, Melissa Barger, Lindsay Webb. Caption provided by Lindsay Webb Cockrell.

To view the 2003-2006 Soccer photo galleries, click on www.athleticnetwork.net , Photo Gallery (left side of home page), Soccer, the year of your choice.

 

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Click here for the chronological listings of the Spotlight on Former Athletes.