By: by Mark Toma
KENNESAW, Ga. – Former Kennesaw State defender Rebecca Nolin made history on Saturday night when she scored the Atlanta Beat’s first-ever goal at the KSU Soccer Stadium on Saturday in a, 1-1, tie with the Tampa Bay Hellenic of the W-League.
“This is a dream come true,” said Nolin after the match in front of a bevy of friends and former Kennesaw State teammates.
Nolin, formally Rebecca Hall, tied the match in the 89th minute with a header that found the back of the net. The play started when Beat teammate Shelley Thompson headed a shot that was deflected by Tampa Bay goalkeeper Ashley Baker. The rebound went directly to a waiting Nolin who finished with the game-tying score.
“I couldn’t be more happy for Rebecca,” said Kennesaw State head coach Rob King, who recruited the defender to the Owls from England in 2003. “It is very fitting that one of our former players score the first goal for the Atlanta Beat in the new stadium.”
Nolin, a native of Windsor, England, is the first Kennesaw State women’s soccer player to play professionally in the United States. She played two seasons for the W-League’s Atlanta Silverbacks before making her WPS debut this season with the Beat.
