Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Jay Spivey 

For the Clemmons Courier

Analise Robinson is somebody who knew what she wanted.  

Robinson a 2021 graduate of West Forsyth about to start her senior year at Pfeiffer, fell in love with lacrosse as a child and she’s parlayed that into a starring role in college, not just in lacrosse, but as a two-sport star in lacrosse and soccer. 

It all started while she was at a cheerleading camp when she was at Clemmons Elementary School. She saw a poster about a girls lacrosse league that was getting started. 

“So, then I said to my dad, I said, ‘I want to try that.’ And so, I went out there and I tried it and I just really liked it, and I just kept going,” Robinson said.  

She sure is going. Through her first three years at Pfeiffer, she’s scored 175 goals, according to gofalconsports.com.  

“It was interesting,” Robinson said. “Definitely with a lot of us, a lot of us didn’t understand the point of it at first. You know, at that age, you don’t have a goalie or anything. It’s not really taking that, so you’re not allowed to do things compared to middle-school or like even early high school.” 

As she grew, her mentality changed.  

“As I got older, then I saw the big-girls side of it,” Robinson said.  

Robinson grew up in Clemmons West and went to many West Forsyth girls lacrosse games growing up, but that still didn’t prepare her for when she was a freshman at West Forsyth with Coach Doug Brawley. Robinson described her first experience at West Forsyth as very different than club because of the talent pool.

As the lone freshman that season with the Titans, Robinson played in all 18 games, helping them to a 15-3 record, and had four goals.  

“For the opportunities I got, I think I played very well,” she said. “I played my role, what he wanted me to do.  

“Brawley kind of used me as like the, showing the older kids who had gotten a little more skill, were a little bit more of that cocky side, you still have to listen to your coach when they tell you to do something. So, he knew I was scared to death of not doing what my coach told me not to do.” 

Something Brawley said must’ve clicked because she said after her freshman season at West Forsyth, she wanted to go to college to play lacrosse. So, she went back to playing for PLC (Panthers Lacrosse Club at High Point University) that summer. 

“I knew I would have to dedicate a lot of time to develop my skill because like I said, competing to get a spot on a college team, you’re not competing with girls around you, you’re competing with girls across the country,” Robinson said. “So, I knew that in order to get like a spot that I wanted then I would have to grow my skills and my game experience.” 

As a sophomore for the Titans, she played in 15 games and scored 14 goals. However, her junior season, they played just four games before the season was halted because of COVID. Her senior season, they played a shortened season and she helped them to a 12-1 record and scored 24 goals in 12 games.  

Before ultimately choosing Pfeiffer University, which is in Misenheimer, on the day after Christmas of her senior year, she also was looking at Catawba College, Coker, UVa.-Wise, Chowan University and Brevard College. 

“When I had gone (to Pfeiffer), I just felt so at home and I loved the people,” Robinson said. “I loved the admissions team that I was working with. I loved the coach that we had at the time.” 

As a freshman with the Falcons, Robinson played in 16 games and made 14 starts. She scored 42 goals and had seven assists, and was also named USA South Rookie of the week in March of 2022. 

“The transition from high school was, when I was at West, we had a lot of puzzle pieces that we put together and we had a set squad. So, there wasn’t as much of a need for like everyone to be like constantly having the weight on their shoulders of scoring and stuff like that,” she said. “So, it was very well evenly broken up. But when I had gotten to Pfeiffer that was not the situation. 

“It was like we really didn’t have anyone that had that go-getter type of drive.” 

Robinson just wanted to establish a foundation.  

“When I came in, I just wanted to let everything take over,” she said. “And I just ended up doing a lot better than anyone really expected.” 

As a sophomore, she was named a co-captain and played in all 18 games and had 69 goals and 10 assists as a midfielder, helping her make second-team in the USA South. She added 69 goals this past season as a junior. 

“That confidence didn’t really come until I got to college,” Robinson said. “It came from, I would say my first game, I didn’t score at all. And that game, actually think our team collectively had only scored like a couple goals themselves. 

“So, then I played my second game, and I was like, ‘OK, like, you know, I’m just going to not think about it.’ And my second game, I think I scored like four or five. And from there it just started taking off until 6s and 7s and 8s, even a 9. I had a nine-goal game at one point and it kept going and going and going.” 

As of now, she’s the lone captain as she’s about to start her senior year of college. Coach Sue Murphy, who was named head coach there in January 2024, will ultimately make that decision of captains. 

“I think they all just trust my instinct when I tell them, ‘Oh, maybe you should try to this. Like if you want to be more confident try this,’” Robinson said. “I think a lot of them just look to me for like advice on playing, even in life, just overcoming different things. So, I think they look up to me as like an older sister.” 

Robinson picked up soccer while at Pfeiffer, which is unusual. She started playing there last fall as a junior and played in 15 games. 

“It’s fun. I love it,” she said. “It’s very busy, but it keeps me in shape. And I love it a lot.” 

Playing soccer was an all-new experience for her. 

“We had just gotten a new soccer coach (Acasio Roche III) and they only had like 15 girls,” Robinson said. “So, he was like doing some recruiting. And so, I just went into his office one day because soccer and lacrosse share a house for coaches’ offices.  

“So, I just walked in one day and I was like, ‘I’m interested in playing soccer,’ He was like, ‘You want to play soccer?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And he was, ‘Have you every played?’ And I was like, ‘Nope.’” 

After doing some research on her playing lacrosse, Roche said, ‘We’ll make it work.” 

Now at 21 years old, Robinson quickly found a passion for soccer. 

“It was great. I loved it,” she said. “I met all of my best friends. I fell in love with the sport for sure. I fell in love with the coach. I love him to death. But I actually played a lot more than I thought I would.” 

In addition to playing two sports at Pfeiffer, she’s been in Misenheimer all summer working as an admissions ambassador giving tours on campus to prospective students and helping incoming freshman. She reports to campus for her senior year on Aug. 10. 

Pfeiffer’s first women’s soccer game is at home on Aug. 30 against Averett. Robinson still finds time to practice with the lacrosse team, which begins its season next January and the season starts in February. 

“I’m really excited for my Senior Night, for both Senior Nights, just because, you know, that’s a very emotional night for anyone,” she said. “But I am the only senior for both teams, so I’m excited to see what my teammates have planned for me because I know it’s going to be extra because I’m the only one.”