<p>The leading scorer from Center Grove’s girls soccer team wasn’t prepared for a club soccer tournament 500 miles from home to change her life.</p><p>Macy Detty, who’ll leave for the United States Military Academy at West Point a little over a year from now, is glad it did.</p><p>In January, Army women’s soccer coach Adrian Blewitt was in Greer, South Carolina, to scout the goalkeeper on the team that Detty’s squad, Indianapolis-based FC Pride, was playing.</p><p>It was Detty, the Center Grove senior forward/midfielder, who caught his attention.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“(Blewitt) was really one of the first coaches to reach out to me,” Detty said. “(Army) was never on my radar at all. I wasn’t doubtful, but was very hesitant because I knew nothing about West Point. It sounded very intimidating.”</p><p>Shortly thereafter, Detty and her mother, Christy, traveled to West Point, located 50 miles north of New York City, for an official visit. The two-day stay left an impression, to say the least, with Detty almost immediately verbally committing to play for the Black Knights beginning in the fall of 2021.</p><p>“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen a campus like it at all,” said Detty, who will sign her letter of intent in November. “Everything is so historical. It’s so unique and connected to history.”</p><p>Detty has helped the Trojans to a 46-12-4 record in three seasons of varsity soccer, scoring 24 goals and assisting on eight others for Center Grove last fall. She takes the pitch for the Aug. 17 opener against Columbus North having produced 40 goals and 14 assists in her career.</p><p>Once at West Point, Detty is likely to pursue a degree in either sociology, internal affairs or defense and strategic studies. She carries a 3.94 grade-point average at Center Grove.</p><p>Detty’s father, Kippe, a 1989 Columbus North graduate, spent five years in the Army, nearly half of it as a member of the 82nd Airborne unit in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He understands the foundation West Point provides for the rest of his daughter’s life.</p><p>“I was extremely excited, of course, but it’s Macy’s decision. I didn’t want to force anything,” he said. “Macy has always been good on the academic side and is a structured, regimented person anyway.”</p><p>The 2020 Army’s women’s soccer roster was made up of 23 players from 14 different states. Detty will be the Black Knights’ first player from Indiana since senior defender Sydney Witham (Crown Point) played in 2018.</p><p>A forthcoming five-year military commitment has already altered the way Detty approaches her conditioning.</p><p>“It’s changed a lot of the workouts that I do,” she said. “I have to focus on the upper body now with pushups and pull-ups. I want to show up in the best possible shape that I can physically and mentally.”</p><p>Eighth-year Center Grove coach Mike Bishop understands why Blewitt sensed Detty would be a good fit for his program at West Point. On the club soccer circuit, she has a tendency to stand out due to her combination of all-out effort and the understanding of her role.</p><p>“Macy dictates well. She doesn’t overplay her position and doesn’t underplay it,” Bishop said. “If someone’s not pulling their weight, Macy takes care of what she needs to and pulls her teammates along.</p><p>“She’s a determined kid and has been since I’ve known her. She is reserved and hard-working, so I think the mentality is there. Obviously, West Point will be an adjustment, but Macy is a tough kid.”</p>
