PORT ANGELES — Millie Long hasn’t even reached the final act of her prep career.
But what an Act 3 for the Port Angeles junior.
Just a few months after becoming a state track champion in the high hurdles, Long put together likely the most dominant prep soccer season ever seen on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Long set the Port Angeles single-season record for goals with 33, helping to lead the Roughriders to a 16-3-1 record, an Olympic League 2A Division title and the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state soccer tournament.
Long, selected by league coaches as the Olympic League 2A MVP, also had 11 assists on the season and has a staggering 71 career high school goals, which is believed to be a Port Angeles school record.
That laundry list of accomplishments made Long an easy choice as the Peninsula Daily News All-Peninsula Girls Soccer MVP for the third consecutive season.
The accolades are likely just getting started for Long, who has also been an Olympic League MVP in basketball.
Is it too much too soon for this remarkable athlete?
Her soccer coach Scott Moseley said he has had some twinges of guilt — small ones — about the amount of attention that Long gets compared to her teammates, some of whom are outstanding soccer players in their own right.
But, then he thought about it and said that Long absolutely deserves all the accolades that she receives.
“It’s the curse of greatness, sometimes you feel bad, but if somebody does [what Long had done] and excels, let’s not pull her down. She does what she does,” Moseley said.
Long admits all the accolades get a little embarrassing.
“I don’t like a bunch of attention on me,” Long said.
But the MVPs and other awards aren’t going to her head, Moseley said.
“She’s just a really nice girl. She’s a down-to-earth humble young woman. Everyone likes her, no one is jealous,” he said.
Long said she tries to be a leader for the younger players on the team.
Even as a freshmen, coaches leaned on her to show leadership for her teammates.
“I definitely try to help … especially freshmen feel as comfortable as they as they can … I try to support and help them stay positive,” she said.
Long is such a good athlete she could likely move on to play basketball, soccer or track and field at the next level. She has a full year left to decide what sport/s she wants to pursue after high school.
Moseley has tried to tell her not to feel pressured to pick a certain sport, but to live in the moment and do what she wants to do, not what others want her to do.
“She’s got the world in front of her. Coaches around her just tell her to enjoy what she’s doing,” Moseley said. ““I want her to choose what she wants to do, whatever brings her joy. I want to be supportive.”
Long said she is starting to feel some urgency to make a decision about college though she has a whole year left to decide.
“I’m starting to think about where I want to go and what sport I want to do,” Long said. “I’m keeping my options open.”
Does Long have a favorite sport? Kind of.
“In-season is my favorite sport. When I’m playing soccer, soccer is my favorite sport, when I’m playing basketball, basketball is my favorite sport,” she said.
What makes Long special? Her athleticism is off the charts. As a soccer player, she would often begin one of her scoring runs from midfield, running past multiple defenders who simply couldn’t keep up with her.
One of her favorite moves was to go wide toward the sideline and literally run around the defenders for a wide-open shot at the net, sometimes going well over 100 yards dribbling the ball the entire way. She did this successfully repeatedly during her 33-goal season.
Moseley brought up one goal in particular in the playoffs against Sehome in which she actually stumbled and nearly fell down. She regrouped and got back in stride, then “stopped on a dime” to fake out a defender, opening up a lane for a direct shot at the goal mouth and a score.
Moseley said he coached her on how to make that stop-and-go move, but ultimately, it was all Long’s athleticism that made that play happen.
“You coach her and she takes what you’ve taught her … and then puts her own twist on things,” Moseley said. “I just said ‘how does she stop and start so quickly?’
“She’s got a competitive heart and sets a really high standard for herself. Her natural athleticism allows her to do those things,” he said.
Another one of Long’s strengths is she has a strong right-footed shot. But, an absolutely rocket launcher off her natural left foot.
“She’s really frustrating to defend. You can’t favor one foot or the other,” Moseley said. “She had some incredibly hard shots off her left foot but she had some amazing shots with her right foot.”
“I go with [the foot] that works best. If I have to use my right foot, I will,” Long said.
For now, Long will play basketball this winter, run track and field this spring and likely go to sports camps in the summer. All the while, she has to remember her coaches’ words to enjoy the moment.
“I’m really hard on myself. Coaches have to remind me to have fun … take a deep breath,” she said.
The 2019 All-Peninsula Girls Soccer team
Hannah Reetz, PA; Delaney Wenzl, PA; Kiana Watson-Charles, PA; Bailee Larson, PA; Lucah Folden, PA; Anna Petty, PA; Hope Glasser, Sequim; Olivia Hare, Sequim; Abby Schroeder, Sequim; Hannah Wagner, Sequim; Jessica Dietzman, Sequim; Nylah Garling, PT; Sorina Johnston, PT; Elizabeth Jackson-Cruz, Forks; Candida-Rose Sandoval, Forks.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
Millie Long, at right, goes up against Sequim’s Gabby Happe early this season in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
