(Gathered to witness as Nicole Fluker signs a national letter of intent are, front row, from left, her mother, Helen Willis-Fluker; Nicole; her father, Dick Fluker; and her former coach, Donna Oliver. On the second row, from left, are assistant athletic director Barbara Stuckhoff, principal Jim Pulos, Salkehatchie coach Bill Glass, and Lady Jackets coach Brad Nein. (Photo by Luke Eden, The Press Sentinel)Story below compliments of:
By Luke Eden-The Press Sentinel
STAFF WRITER
Nicole Fluker signed a national letter of intent with the University of South Carolina at Salkehatchie Lady Indians soccer team Thursday morning.
"I'm really happy to have Nicole on the team. We've been talking for about three months or so," said Indians head coach Bill Glass, who first spotted Fluker in November during a college showcase with the Golden Isles Soccer Association.
"I thought she was a standout player there, and we started communicating," added Glass.
"I'm glad this has come to fruition because we're really excited about having her on our team."
Fluker, too, is pleased by the prospect of playing for the Lady Indians at the junior college.
"I was really excited to get a scholarship in soccer. It's always been my favorite sport," she said.
A prominent figure on both the soccer pitch and the basketball court (where she was named a 2-AAAA All-Region honorable mention), Fluker says "the momentum of the game" is what draws her to soccer.
"I love to compete, and soccer is a very competitive sport," she said.
The soon-to-graduate senior has played soccer since the age of 8 and says she is excited by the prospect of meeting her new teammates, experiencing the next level of the sport and improving her skills.
According to Glass, getting Fluker on the field will give the Indians the leeway to tweak their lineup during the upcoming season.
"I really see [Nicole] as having the flexibility to play just about anywhere because she's got tremendous speed and a good touch on the ball; she's very good at distributing the ball, she's got very good defensive skills, and she's very aggressive on defense," he said.
"I've seen her play forward quite a bit, but I've also seen her come back and really fight to get the ball, which gets my wheels turning."
During her 2009 season with the Lady Jackets, Fluker filled several roles on the team, although she spent most of her time at left wing.
"Nicole was able to be a great left-sided wing player, send crosses in, beat her opponent and be a great leader on the field for the younger girls to look up to," said coach Brad Nein.
"She was able to look ahead, see where the ball was going to be and get to that spot. And she was a tireless worker. Once she saw the ball, she went for it."
Fluker's work ethic led her to play a variety of positions over the course of the season, and whether she found herself on the wing, at center mid or even serving as a marking back, Nein says, she delivered.
"We moved her around during the season, and in each role she did a fantastic job, so I'm looking forward to seeing her play at the next level, especially in the big matchup between Salkehatchie and Middle Georgia, where she'll get to play against Jenna [Nash]," said the coach.
"That will be a lot of fun, so hopefully I'll get to be at that game.
"It's great for the program that both her and Jenna can move on and continue playing in college.
"I'm so excited for Nicole to have this opportunity at Salkehatchie. I know she is going to do a great job with her studies and on the soccer field."
The Indians are slated to start spring training Aug. 3 and will begin their preseason later that month.
"That's just around the corner as far as I'm concerned," said Glass.
"I've got a lot on my to-do list."
