Anna Frierson creating her own legacy

Anna Frierson hardly had to give her college choice a second thought.

“I just knew I wanted to go to Auburn,” she said.

The Homewood High School senior will follow in her sister’s footsteps as a Tiger. Katy, eight years Anna’s senior, starred on Auburn’s soccer team from 2008-2011 after also playing at Homewood. During that time, Anna acquired all she needed to know about her future school.

“It’s been like a second family almost, because I’ve been around them so much, and I grew to love it. It felt like my second home,” Anna said of Auburn.

Anna saw nothing from Katy’s experience to dissuade her from choosing the same university, as she walked much of that journey alongside her older sister.

“My experience at Auburn was unbelievable,” Katy said. “I had the best time there, and Anna was very much a part of that experience. She came to almost all of my home games and was there when we won the SEC Championship [in 2011].”

She is following in her sister’s footsteps, sure, but make no mistake, the younger Frierson has certainly earned a spot on Auburn’s team on her own merit.

Last season, Anna earned first team All-State honors and participated in the Alabama North-South All-Star Game. She also plays for a successful Birmingham United Elite Clubs National League team that features many top players in the area.

Which begs the question: What kind of player is Anna?

“She’s a great possession player and fits our style because she always keeps the ball. That’s something that’s really important with the way we play,” Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said in a National Signing Day video released by the university.

Hoppa also coached Katy Freels — who has been married for three years — at Auburn, and is “excited” to have Anna joining the program in the fall.

The sisters are compared quite often on and off the field, as their playing styles mirror each other in numerous ways and their mannerisms are similar, but they both chalk it up to chance.

“People will say we’re like twins because we have so many habits that are the same thing, or that we run the same or write the same or whatever,” said Anna.

Katy adds, “She’s a great player, and although we have striking similarities in our style of play and off-the-ball movements, we are both very much our own players.”

Anna even played basketball and ran cross-country to create her own identity, but willingly admits she looked up to her sister. In doing so, she found her own love of the game.

“As I wanted to become like her, I fell in love with soccer,” the younger sister said.

From that point on, Anna was no longer playing only because her sister played and the same was required of her. She was playing for her own dreams and goals. 

Like any siblings, the Frierson duo got into its fair share of fights and arguments. Because of the years that separate the two, Katy has spent more time supporting Anna in whatever way needed, instead of acting as a coach or personal trainer.

“I think because we’re both competitive, we haven’t really trained together too much. Emotions always escalate and arguments break out,” Katy said.

Anna backed that up, saying, “She was just a good support for me and she was my best friend growing up even though we were ages apart.”

Anna believes she turned the corner as a player in the transition from her sophomore to junior year of high school, as her talent began to flourish, and she began to put in the extra work to be the best player possible.

“It clicked that I had gotten better and I learned what I needed to be better at and I practiced that. I would wake up early or stay after school,” she said.

The elder Frierson has played for Sky Blues Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League, a franchise located in New Jersey, since 2013, but has elected to step away from the team for at least a year to spend more time with her family.

As for Anna, she still has unfinished business at Homewood before moving on to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. She has played on the Homewood varsity team since her freshman year and has made it to the playoffs each year. But she wants more this time.

“I think we’re really good this year and I think we have a really good shot of going all the way. We could definitely win state if we do what we need to do,” she said.