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Quick on her feet
Lecanto senior striker Natalie Burnett always stays one step ahead of the competition.
By KELLIE DIXON
Published February 25, 2007
LECANTO - On the soccer field, Natalie Burnett keeps it simple. She ignores the defenders often double-teaming her and anticipates what she'll do if she gets the ball. That way, when she does get it, she's one step ahead. It's a trick that the surefooted Burnett used to her advantage this season, netting 40 goals and tallying 23 assists to lead the Panthers. Burnett, the Times' All-Citrus-Hernando Girls Soccer Player of the Year, helped lead Lecanto to the district finals and then to the region quarterfinals. Growing up, Burnett played on male teams, so she was forced to fine-tune her mental game. The boys were quicker and more aggressive, so it forced her to be smarter. "They just always said to me, 'You need to know what you're going to do beforehand,' " Burnett said. "I could think as fast as the guys, but I could not play nearly as fast." When she got into high school, Burnett was pretty comfortable with the ball at her feet. She scored four goals in her striker debut and has recorded 109 career goals. She also notched 118 assists along the way. Burnett improved her game and her attention to detail kicking the ball around in the backyard with her brother, Michael Burnett. Michael, a sophomore forward at Lecanto, said the siblings have become more like training partners. They spend time juggling, passing, everything but shooting because of space, in the backyard. Natalie Burnett now is trying to come up with a college plan. The senior's goal is to find a school based on academics and walk onto the soccer team. Right now, she's looking at Queens in Charlotte, but she's got a list of options. "Either way, I'm going to walk on," Burnett said. "I'm going to play. But it's not something like, 'Oh, I'm going to play.' It's 'Oh, I'm going to learn.' " No matter what, Burnett is thinking about her future move. Kellie Dixon can be reached at kdixon@sptimes.com or 352 544-9480.
[Last modified February 24, 2007, 19:55:41]
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