Indians 2012 Womens Soccer Recap~

The 2012 USC Salkehatchie women’s soccer team fought valiantly against adversity all season and as a result of their efforts claimed fourth place in NJCAA Region X behind perennial powers Spartanburg Methodist, Louisburg and Cape Fear.

In 2012 adversity for the Indians came in the form of injuries to key players. Sophomore center mid

Sherrieka Othello tore an ACL early. As the season wore on she was joined on the sideline by several other starters including freshman defender Bri Brown, sweeper Amelia Green, forward Elle Shelton and goalkeeper Danielle Danforth. Forward Kassie Contreras managed to persevere through the pain of a stress fracture to her tibia but either had to miss games entirely or just saw limited action in matches as a result.

All the injuries placed a lot of pressure on the remaining players and the ladies responded by stepping up

their game. The team was amazingly resilient. For example, despite three disappointing losses in a row during October to Spartanburg Methodist, Louisburg College and Cape Fear, the Indians came back on October 20 and beat Patrick Henry 6-0 to secure their fourth place finish. “We had a fiercely competitive group of players on the team,” said Head Women’s Soccer Coach Bill Glass, “they never gave up and played hard for a full 90 minutes or more each match no matter what.” The Indians ended up with a respectable 7-9-1 record overall and finished 5-7-1 in Region X. Forward Kassie Contreras tallied an impressive 14 goals to lead the Indians in scoring. Goalkeepers Danielle Danforth and Jasmina Smith combined to post 3 shutouts and limit opponents to 2.5 goals per game on average.

The team will lose many players to graduation including Michelle Adams, Sierra Lamar, Rosina Fadul, Sherrieka Othello, Cyles Barnes, Brittany May, and Amelia Green. “It is good to see so many players graduating,” according to Glass, “that is what this is all about.” However Coach Glass is happy that a solid nucleus of players is expected to return for 2013 including defenders Lisa Doolittle, Ashai Brown, Kimmy Giroir, Kori Hunter, Jasmina Smith and Brianna Gooden- Brown. Midfielders Sasha Crawford, and Chelsea Mayo are also expected back as are forwards Elle Shelton and Kassie Contreras. “These players gained a wealth of experience this season,” said Glass, “I expect them to form the backbone of the 2013 squad.”