Patrick benefits from a much different path

The Prep Rally: Best in the West series will highlight the all-time best players in western Arkansas as selected by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The road Skylurr Patrick took to achieve greatness in Arkansas' high school girls soccer ranks was unlike many of those before her, but the destination remained the same.

Before she led Rogers High's girls to a Class 7A state championship and was named the state's player of the year by Gatorade in 2018, Patrick made the decision not to play for the Lady Mounties during her sophomore and junior years. Instead, she chose a different route and spent those two years playing at Tulsa Soccer Club.

"It was difficult, for sure," Patrick said of her choice. "I wanted to play for my school, of course, and have people watch me play for my school. Having teammates that didn't go to your same school was difficult, too.

"But it was definitely the right choice to make. I did get seen by multiple colleges, as well as Purdue. My biggest dream was to play D1, and I knew my best chance would be to play at Tulsa. I got to experience a different level of soccer, and the competition -- I loved it."

The decision came with a price to pay as Patrick heard backlash from her Rogers schoolmates, who considered her move was perhaps a little selfish. Meanwhile, her parents had to make sacrifices as well, and she was appreciative of what they did for her to succeed.

One of her parents would leave work early in order to take her to Tulsa while she spent that time eating what meal she was brought or napping. She would then do her homework on the way back home after practice, and this became the normal routine until she earned her driver's license and made the 2-hour trip herself.

"It was definitely a grind," Patrick said. "When I started driving, they made sure I had toll booth money because of those toll booths, and I had to have the exact amount of change. They would also make me snacks, so they set me up pretty good. I had the easy part.

"After I starting driving, I got pulled over once. I was speeding, but that is beside the point. The road is pretty straightforward, but you're just on that road for a while and it gets boring. I would have to change up the music every once in a while or listen to some podcasts."

Her two-year stint in Tulsa paid off as she signed a national letter of intent with Purdue, where Patrick will begin her junior season this fall. She then made another decision to play at Rogers her senior season, where she was met again with some backlash and some skepticism from those wondering if she would be a good teammate.

Those things were pushed back when Patrick finished the season with 45 goals and 14 assists. She then capped the season in thrilling fashion as she recorded a hat trick during the Lady Mounties' 3-2 victory over Bryant in the Class 7A state championship match.

"She brought another level of experience to the team," said Aaron Crouch, who recently resigned at Rogers' coach to take a similar position at the same Tulsa Soccer Club where Patrick played those two years. "Even when we were in training, if she thought somebody wasn't bringing their all, she would let them know about it. She set the bar during our training sessions.

"She had this fierceness and a never-ending competitive spirit. She was like this train engine -- she kept going, and she was going to obliterate everything on the track. There was nothing that was going to stop her from what she wanted to achieve."