Kelby Dove signs to play soccer at Bluefield College

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

George Wythe High School senior Kelby Dove signed a scholarship last week to attend and play soccer at Bluefield College.
Dove is currently playing her fourth year on the GWHS girls’ soccer team. Bluefield Soccer Coach Joe Wehrle said he has seen Dove play since last season. “What stood out most about her is her athleticism,” said Wehrle. “The way she gets around the field – you could tell she had something.”
The coach said he expects Dove to see a fair amount of playing time despite being a freshman next year. “She’ll make an impact on the team,” he said. I definitely know she’s going to add toughness to the team.”
GWHS girls’ soccer coach Scott Dove (who is also Kelby’s father), said Kelby has been a team leader since her freshman year. He said Kelby has played organized soccer since the second grade on the town’s recreation league. She has also played on a travel team based in Radford for more than eight years.
The coach said the skills that Kelby has were developed on her own. “I’m very proud of her.”
Kelby said she plans to major in education at Bluefield. She is hopeful of becoming a physics teacher and coming back to George Wythe to teach and to coach girls’ soccer.
Among her fond memories of her career at GWHS, Dove said, was the bus rides to games with her teammates, “because of how much fun we had – even if we lost.”
She said she chose Bluefield (after visiting other schools) because the coach is a good person, and “I just had a feeling.”
In addition to soccer, Dove also competed on the high school track and cross country tams and is a member of the JROTC Rifle and Raider team.