NATIONAL Women’s Under-20 midfielder Nugene Nugent, who was the top goalscorer (37 goals) and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the recently-concluded schoolgirl football competition, will depart the island in the next few weeks to take up a scholarship at the Navarro College in Texas.

The 19-year-old attacker who is one of the country’s most promising young players, will study Business Administration at the Texas institution.

She believes she can follow in the footsteps of local football icon Omolyn Davis, who became the first Jamaican to grace the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) League in the United States.

Nugent has her heart and sights set on achieving her goals. “She (Davis) is a good role model and once you have someone who is a good role model, your outlook will be positive,” said Nugent.

“I think once I push hard and work hard enough I will be able to realise my ambitions,” she told the Sunday Observer at the Schoolgirl Awards Presentation on Friday.

“After playing football for all these years I think I can do it. She (Davis) did it, so I think I can do it too… all I have to do is continue playing good football, study hard and try to get to the play-offs,” she said.

Nugent, who spent three season with St Hugh’s High, helping them to one schoolgirl football final, said she could not achieve all she had this season with the Leinster Road school and thanked her new school coach at Lennon High, Merron Gordon, for affording her the opportunity to showcase her skills.

“I don’t think I could have achieved what I achieved at Lennon at St Hugh’s. Being at Lennon with more experienced players have given me a good opportunity to show my ability,” she declared.

“And it’s a wonderful feeling being the leading goalscorer and MVP because I worked very hard for all of this… and with this being my final year, I guess it was a good reward and I am grateful for it,” she said.

Lennon’s coach Merron Gordon describes the talented youngster as the best midfielder in her age group in the country and is confident she has all the qualities to emulate Davis and make it into the WPS.

“She handles the ball very well; she is mature in her play and that maturity impacted greatly on our midfield this season, even though we had mature players in our team already,” he pointed out.

“She really guided us through because she is also a lethal goalscorer and as a female, she can really kick the ball,” he delcared.

He added: “My dream for her is to see her playing the WPS, because I think she has the qualities. As long as she goes overseas and works real hard, I think she will get into a top university and be drafted.

“She is a hard worker who has dedicated her entire life to football… she came in and joined us and she really worked hard and helped us back to the title and got the leading goalscorer and MVP awards, so hats off to her,” he said.

“But I know she will make the grade because she is a naturally hard worker and a very well-mannered girl,” he added.