Heading into her fourth year at DeSales University, Lydia Younger wasn't quite sure if she would return to the Bulldogs' women's soccer team for the 2013 season.

Enrolled in a three-plus-two program at DeSales, Younger understood the demand and dedication such a program entailed. After completing her bachelor's degree in three years, she understood that working towards her master's degree in the Physician Assistant program over the course of her final two academic years would require much hard work.

But after some input from a number of her friends that are also enrolled in the program and play a sport, Younger was back on the field for the Bulldogs in her final season.

"Not a lot of kids play their fourth year," Younger said. "I had two friends that were on the cross country team that also decided to run this year. A couple of kids have done it in the past, and I had talked to them and decided I wanted to try it.

"Most days, I'm in class from 8-5, so I only made it to the second half of practice most days. That was kind of hard from a team perspective. Sometimes you had to get caught up on what we discussed."

Younger, a 2010 graduate of Emmaus High School, played the midfield position in her first three seasons with the Bulldogs. She recorded nine assists and three goals over her first three seasons, including two goals and three assists as a junior. She also started in every game as a sophomore and junior.

With first-year head coach Heather Kemp at the helm for her senior season, Younger underwent a position change for the Bulldogs. As a member of the team's defense, Younger played in 16 games, including 15 starts this season. Her 1,272 minutes of game time was the sixth-most on the team.

Younger played some defense last season with the Bulldogs, during times on club teams and a little bit during her senior year with Emmaus, so the switch wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She was always willing to fill in wherever she was needed on the field.

"I think the way positions worked out, we had more midfielders," Younger said. "Since I can play defense, it was easier to shift back. Because I've done it in the past, I think it's easier than making someone new play defense. We also had a couple injuries on our defensive line."

Heading into her first collegiate season, Younger wasn't even sure if she was going to play soccer. But after deciding on the Physician Assistant program at DeSales, she decided to come out for the team. She wasted little time in having an impact, as she started in 14 of the 16 games she played in as a freshman.

"My freshman year, I didn't know I was going to play until the middle of the summer," Younger said. "I only made the decision then. Just coming out and being able to play was a big deal for me freshman year.

"I originally thought I wanted to do nursing, and so I was looking at other schools. In the middle of my senior year [of high school], I changed my mind and applied to DeSales. It was only like in May that I had started to try and get in contact with the coach because I didn't really make my decision on DeSales until kind of late."

While she is set to graduate in August of 2015, Younger recently played her last game as a member of the Bulldogs. While it's been a long season, she admits she'll miss taking the field with her teammates.

"By the end of every season, sometimes you feel like everyone is kind of ready to be done," Younger said. "But I know that next year, when the fall rolls around, I'll wonder why I'm not playing it still. It will be hard in that way."

Younger, who has a sister on the team as well, freshman defender Esther Younger, would like to stay involved in the sport in some way. She also has a sister in high school that plays soccer. For now, however, her focus is on completing her Master's Degree.

"I'll be coming back to games for the next three years at least," Younger said. "We have a lot of soccer in the family. So I'll stay involved that way at least.