Soccer an outlet for Blount

A.J. Blount has her own set of dog tags.

They're a duplicate pair that her father, Air Force Major Horace Lynch, gave her before he left.

"I try to wear them all the time," the 15-year-old Wiregrass Ranch sophomore said, keeping her emotions in check. "It's comforting to me (to wear them) when he's not here."

Blount's father won't be here for a year, after departing Dec. 1 for a tour in Afghanistan. However, Blount will be able to speak with him during his deployment.

"He's been there since Day One," Blount said, holding the dog tags tight in her hand. "I do soccer because I want to make him happy, to make him proud, but I do it because it also makes me happy, which I know makes him happy."

The speedy forward is already a scoring sensation with 25 goals while leading the Bulls to a 13-2-2 record this season. That is in addition to the 28 goals she had as a freshman.

"A.J. is just one piece of the puzzle (on this team)," first-year coach Erin Dodd said, "and obviously she's a very big piece, but she works well with the rest of this team. She keeps them moving forward up front, but they all bring a lot of confidence to the field."

Growing up in a military family, Blount has moved a lot, and she spent four years in Mississippi. There, she learned a lot about soccer and the type of player she wants to be.

"Going into different environments, you learn different things," said Blount, who also plays on the New Tampa Fusion club team. "When you learn different things, it's something you've never done before, but then you can put it with something you are familiar with.

"Like, I don't just run across the field with my shooting tactics. All this moving around has made me who I am and what kind of soccer player I am. Sometimes, I don't recognize myself, and I probably won't five years from now."

Blount hardly looks her age, but her maturity is evident, especially on the field. She has become a young leader to her teammates, and they will be there to offer support as Blount deals with not seeing her father for a year.

"I really can't imagine what she's going through with that," Dodd said. "It shows how much courage she had to come out to the (Dec. 1) game (against Land O' Lakes) and contribute (a goal and an assist) to the game. The next year is going to be tough, but she's lucky to have the teammates she does to be there for her."

Soccer has become Blount's outlet for her emotions, but it's difficult to look up in the stands and not see the man who has been to every game, and took her to practice day in and day out. Blount jokes that "I guess I kind of got my anger out playing that game (after he left)."

Still, it is clear it will be a long year as Blount holds the dog tags close to her heart.

"To me, (soccer is) basically a mental game," Blount said. "It's a way for me to put everything on the field and forget, just for a moment, what else is going on (in my life).

"I think I'm doing pretty well for my age and class, but I just try to do my best every time on the field. This isn't about scoring - it's just about playing soccer out there."