SLIPPERY ROCK — There isn't much time these days for Harley Boyd to take her 16-year-old American Quarter Horse, Honey, out of the family stable for a gallop.

Boyd and Honey go way back. They competed together in Youth Barrel Racing, rodeos and 3D Opens.

“It's very relaxing because it just comes so naturally to me,” said Boyd about the freedom she gets from riding her horse. “I've been riding pretty much my whole life.”

Boyd's family owns 15 horses and riding was where her competitive fire was first lit.

Now, soccer does that for the Slippery Rock High graduate.

She was a star at midfielder for the Rockets. During her senior season, she was shifted to forward to give the sagging Slippery Rock offense a boost.

Boyd responded with 17 goals during a 14-game surge to the playoffs that culminated with a loss in the district semifinals.

Boyd was convinced after her final high school game that her soccer career was over.

Instead, she wound up starring for the Mercyhurst North East women's soccer team for the last two years, scoring 23 goals and handing out 12 assists to leave as the second-leading point scorer in school history.

Boyd was also recently named Mercyhurst North East's 2015 Female Athlete of the Year and will move on to play soccer at Division II Fairmont State (W.Va.) on a scholarship.

“I didn't see any of these rewards coming,” Boyd said. “It was pretty much a surprise to me.”

It wasn't a surprise to Saints' women's soccer coach Jake Hordych, who knew almost immediately that Boyd was special.

Hordych has had good players and leaders come through his junior college program before.

But he said he has had few players like Boyd.

“You know what, everybody always says when a player leaves that it's going to be hard to replace them on and off the field and blah, blah, blah,” Hordych said. “But with Harley, this is legit. Coaches also say they wish they could have more of a player. I wish I had more players like Harley. Her leadership was unbelievable.”

Boyd made an immediate impact for Mercyhurst North East, scoring 11 goals as a freshman.

This season she scored 12 goals to again lead the team.

Boyd said she felt she improved quite a bit during her two years with the Saints.

“Ball-handling wise, I definitely got much better,” Boyd said. “My left foot definitely got better. It's a pretty big step up here from high school. I was just happy I was able to be a big scorer for this team.”

She is hoping to make a similar impact for Fairmont State, a young program that just completed its first season at the Division II level.

Mercyhurst North East played Fairmont State twice this fall and Boyd caught the attention of Falcons' women's soccer coach Pat McGinnis.

“She sparked his eye a little bit,” Hordych said.

Hordych said he has little doubt Boyd will also be a star at Fairmont State.

“Usually we have two or three captains every season,” Hordych said. “This year, Harley was our only captain. She was the person we as coaches and the players came to about everything. She was the person we had the most trust in. She's a great athlete and just a really good person.”