Burlington County celebrates Carli Lloyd Day
BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. - It was a night to remember for scores of soccer fans who gathered at Delran Community Park for a celebration of their hometown hero Carli Lloyd as she gets ready to hang up her cleats.
"She's someone I could look up to. Someone I could say, oh yeah it's not impossible from a small town to go big," Kaua Freitas said.
The soccer phenom from Delran never forgetting where she came from mingling with the crowd and even taking selfies with them before taking to the stage.
"This is amazing. It exceeded anything I ever imagined," Lloyd said.
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The soccer legend talking about growing up here and her parents signing her up for soccer when she was just 5 years old.
"The 34 years just gets to me. I played professionally for 16 years, but Delran is where it all started for me," she explained.
The 39-year old saying they didn't have any fancy equipment in the backyard back then.
"I would use trees as goals. It didn't matter what I had. It wasn't the equipment that made me. All I wanted all day was the ball," she added.
It's Lloyd's tenacity, determination, and dedication that's inspired so many to follow in her footsteps.
The evening capped off with a colorful firework display as a thank you to one of the most celebrated athletes to ever play the game.
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