But while she and her parents were disappointed, the Northwest Guilford standout said avoiding stress was the key to getting where she wanted to be, eventually signing to play on scholarship for Appalachian State.

“It definitely took a toll because then you start to doubt yourself in the moment,” Stallings said. “But I think the biggest thing was people and coaches saying that kind of gives you a goal to work at and prove them wrong. It definitely took a toll and did not make my parents happy, but I think it honestly was the thing that I needed to get me going and start working towards the goal.”

Stallings has long held a passion for soccer, with her sister Eliza, three years her senior, and twin sister Lindsay also playing the sport. Morgan describes the siblings as being tight, particularly her twin, who played with her at Northwest through their senior season.

“I always loved playing with her (Lindsay) just because I know her, she knows me, and she was that person on the field I could turn to in hard moments just to look for motivation, because she knows how to handle me and how to just get my mindset back on track,” Stallings said. “There were multiple games I remember that if I was struggling, she would just tell me to keep going and keep pushing because at some point I would get it, and so for her, I am really grateful for those moments.”

In four years on the team, Northwest went a combined 65-13-8, with two conference championships and two conference runner-ups. The Lady Vikings made the 4A playoffs every season, including a fourth round trip her sophomore season in 2023. In 2023 and 2024, she was named Metro 4A Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and pending this year’s release, has twice been named all-state and all-region by the NC Soccer Coaches Association.

Stallings’ strongest traits may be in her mental skillset, even over her physical attributes. A student of the game, she aims to be an analyst of the sport for an English Premier League team when she is done playing. As a player, the graduating senior demanded any kind of information possible to get an edge on an opponent.

An A-B honor roll student at Northwest, the skilled multitasker often studies the game when not doing classwork. When preparing for her own opponents, she likes looking at formations and how individuals like to set up, blending full-game films with a keen eye on how adversaries approach key moments.

“One girl, she was like, ‘You’re addicted to this,’ because on the personal school computer I had my own film, and then on the school computer in the computer lab, I had a Champions League football game on,” Stallings said. “So I definitely get told I watch too much, but it’s just something that is fun to me, and I like looking at the data in terms of patterns and players.”

She says that her favorite professional player to watch is Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne but says her own playing style is often compared to UNC-Chapel Hill midfielder Tessa Dellarose.

“I wouldn’t say I was the most physical person, but I think for me, my biggest asset was just being able to get everyone involved and lead them as a team,” said Stallings of her high school career. “If I saw someone getting through, I tried to get an assist or just tried to make an impact on the game. I never tried to be really down on anyone because I know what it feels like to have someone yell at you, so I would just say for me, my biggest asset was just what I could provide to the table as far as passing and just what difference can I make in helping other people get into the game.”

Stallings described herself as being timid when she first joined the Northwest team as a freshman varsity player but said older teammates like Darby Woyahn viewed her not in terms of her age but in terms of her capabilities.

As a freshman, she started on a conference title team at center back, not her typical position, but she believes the change benefited her as a player and person. It forced her to not be shy as the role required being the defense’s communicator.

“The biggest thing is that not only my high school coach but my club coach put me there for someone to be able to control the game,” she said. “They said with the vision that I have, it was just key to have me there because there are times that I can just hit a ball that no one really expects, and I just know my teammates will get on the end of it. …”

The versatile player shifted to holding midfield as a sophomore, then as a junior moved to attacking midfield, where she again played primarily as a senior.

“I never really played center back, so when I first got put there I was a little nervous, but as it went on, I got more comfortable, and it kind of felt like holding mid,” she said. “It kind of just felt natural to me to be able to turn and pass the ball, and what really worked for us that year was just coach Murphy trusting me to just release and to go forward and leave the area knowing I could get back if needed.”

Stallings said that Appalachian State first contacted her with interest in January of her junior year when she was playing at a club event, ECNL Florida. She said that the Mountaineers were the last program to give her an offer but felt right about it.

When it came time to decide, her parents suggested thinking about it for a couple days before telling anyone. She signed with App State in November.

“I remember I was in my room that night, and I kind of was just pondering between choices, and App just felt more like home to me,” Stallings said. “It felt like an area that I could grow not only as a soccer player but as a person, and it gave me options to do things outside of soccer to grow academically in what I want to go through.”

Cooper’s Question, Presented by PF Plumbing

Q: If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be and why?

A: I would probably say Messi, just because I think everyone wants to meet him, probably Kevin De Bruyne, just because he is my favorite player to watch, and then for the women’s side, Alex Morgan because she has always been my favorite player to watch in the women’s game.