When Naomi Person takes the field, the whole stadium knows it. 

“If you’ve seen the games, I’m back there talking trash and having fun,” Person said. “I laugh with my teammates on the bench, talk back to my coaches and talk a little to the refs.”

Person is a redshirt sophomore goalie for the Elon women’s soccer team. This year, she took the place of injured junior goalie Katie Bisgrove right before the season started. 

Bisgrove was the leading goalie for the Phoenix last year and a two-time team MVP leading into this season.

During her absence, Person has stepped into the starting role.

In her first two years, Person sat on the bench, soaking up as much knowledge as she could. She said she had confidence issues in her first two seasons at Elon. 

When the offseason kicked off, Person knew that Elon goalkeeper coach Clifton Bush believed in her, giving her the confidence she was once missing. 

“Clifton has been really good about teaching and being there for a goalkeeper that doesn’t have much game experience,” Person said. 

As the first preseason game got underway, she finally got her opportunity to shine. Person played in two early preseason games, giving her fuel for the season. 

Person believes Elon’s exhibition game against Wake Forest University was the defining moment that gave her confidence to ‘just play.’

“That game is what launched me into this season, and I just have to have the confidence to go out there,” Person said. “I had nothing to lose, and it made me have multiple saves against Wake Forest. I know the stats aren’t on a stat sheet since it was an exhibition game, but I feel that was my defining moment going into the season.” 

Person stayed strong in the first five games, only allowing seven goals. The Phoenix won four games during that stretch, with a close loss to North Carolina State University. This was a resilient showing for the remaining CAA champions. 

After those initial games, Person went on a tear. She had three straight shutouts and some amazing saves. 

In Elon’s 2-0 victory against Campbell University, Bush said he could see the confidence that she was playing with. 

“She is starting to hold people accountable,” Bush said. “Against Campbell, she helped get players into positions and keep clean sheets.”

Bush believes her new attitude helped the team during their winning streak. 

Person said she is grateful for the support from her teammates, which gives her more confidence. 

“My teammates are awesome, and they have been so supportive,” Person said. “They are excited for me, and the first two years I was the loudest on the bench. I had a lot of energy and support from my teammates, and they’ve been really excited to give that back to me, so that’s really fun.”

Bush believes that Person is a completely different player from her start at Elon, taking up information well and using the tactics they practice in action. 

“The biggest thing is her communication because she is a great talent but she has to talk,” Bush said. “She’s got to be aware, and so she’s getting a lot more pictures now.”

With responsibility comes pressure — people may not realize how hard it is for a goalie to play in isolation.

“Being a goalie is lonely because you don’t get the ability to make mistakes not in the limelight,” Bush said.  “Some plays are replayed on Instagram or social media, and your mistakes end up in someone else’s highlight reel. Sometimes you're trying to be social and you’re trying to engage in a team, but at the same time you have to keep some distance because I’ve got to be able to hold you accountable. The group of goalkeepers all understand to be in that role, and they are really good at supporting each other”. 

Person, along with Bush, believe that good things are to come. The goalie, ironically, has big goals for herself, as well as her team, as the CAA tournament approaches. 

“I just want to play by game, and I don’t want to put too much pressure on what the outcomes might be,” Person said. “Just being grateful and not expecting crazy outcomes and being present, and I want to improve my own game to take the team as far as possible.”