CHARLESTON, S.C. ? College of Charleston women’s soccer player Erin Smithwas one of 144 players to take part in the 2008 Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Combine in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. last month.
During the combine, Smith underwent general training and physical testing, was assigned to a specific team and had the opportunity to play in three games over the course of three days against some of the countries elite competition.
“I was nervous, but in a good way,” said Smith in describing her feelings leading up to the combine. “I was very anxious and excited to get out onto the field and show the coaches what I could do and to see where I stood compared to some of the best players in the country.”
Once action finally got underway at the combine on Dec. 18th, Smith described the competition on the playing field to be one thing: intense.
“It was funny because coming into the first day, you could tell who already knew each other and you could see the competitiveness,” said Smith. “People were eyeing each other up before we even stepped on the field, but the competitive mood was really cool.”
“After stepping on the field for the first time, however, you could see each individual team begin to bond because everyone was so focused on the common goal, winning games.”
Smith earned a spot in the prestigious combine after posting an All-Southern Conference season in goal for the Cougars.
She earned nine shutout victories on the season and made 87 saves. Her 0.69 goals against average was one of the lowest in the SoCon throughout the majority of the year. On Sept. 10th, Smith was named Southern Conference Player of the Week after shutting out Richmond (3-0) and Lehigh (1-0) at the Davidson Tournament.
“The College of Charleston really helped build my character and competitive fire inside of myself,” said Smith. “"The program made me realize that I needed to be the best I could not only for my teammates but for myself as well.”
“It definitely provided me with the self-motivation and confidence I needed to succeed on the soccer field and gave me a solid foundation for my life after college.”
Smith, who was one of the leaders of a Cougar squad that went 12-5-4 this past season, will be up for selection in the 2009 WPS draft on Thursday, Jan. 16th held at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis, Mo.