Senior looking for title in final Gamecock campaign
Hopping on any bandwagon seems to get a bad rap nowadays. Maybe Miami Heat fans are to blame, or maybe those on the wagon no longer want to share the glory with new arrivals. But what if someone gets on the bandwagon, climbs to the front and steers it to new heights?
In 2010, goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo had a difficult decision on her plate. She could have signed on to play for Penn State, a team that had, at the time, won 13 consecutive conference championships. The Tennessee Volunteers, who captured four SEC Tournament titles between 2002-08, were also in contention to land D’Angelo.
Instead, the Welland, Ontario native gave her heart to a South Carolina program that was still getting started to make a name for itself.
“It was everything from [Associate Head Coach] Jamie (Smith) and [Head Coach] Shelley (Smith) to the players that were here and the campus,” D’Angelo said. “I fell in love with everything that South Carolina is.”
Before D’Angelo played her first minute in a Gamecock uniform, she was busy representing her home country on the international level. D’Angelo was a member on the Canadian U17 national team in both 2008 and 2010, starting in goal for the latter. The senior noted that this competition proved valuable for the improvement of her game.
“It’s given me a lot of experience,” D’Angelo said. “I’ve been able to play against some of the best players in the world at those age groups, so being able to bring that experience back to South Carolina has definitely helped me.”
D’Angelo was immediately thrown into the fire as a freshman, but her youth was a non-factor.
She was the backbone to a Gamecock squad that marched all the way to its first-ever regular season conference title. Honors poured in for the breakout freshman, including SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year, and SEC Goalkeeper of the Year.
“She’s been an impact player from the minute she came on the field for us as a freshman,” head coach Shelley Smith said. “She played like a senior as a freshman and has maintained that kind of level.”
After a humbling season in 2012 that saw the Gamecocks miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006, D’Angelo was at the core of a record-breaking season in 2013. Personally, she earned her second SEC Defensive Player of the Year award as well as NSCAA First Team All-America honors.
However, D’Angelo will be the first to tell you that all of her awards should be looked upon as team accomplishments. Her intense desire to win and improve the performances of those in front of her has not been lost on her teammates.
“She’s a tremendous leader, especially on the field,” junior midfielder Raina Johnson said. “She picks up our team from all the way in the back. She’s extremely noticeable, telling you what you need to do, which is really helpful for the whole team.”
Those who have watched D’Angelo over the past three years may view her, and rightly so, as a tenacious and fierce competitor who never breaks her focus. According to D’Angelo, this demeanor is reserved strictly for the playing field.
“I’m not as serious and mean-looking as I seem on the field,” D’Angelo said. “I’m definitely a goofy person, crazy. I like to laugh and joke.”
While professional soccer likely awaits D’Angelo upon her graduation, her sole focus is on her senior campaign, which gets underway Friday evening.
Shelley Smith, who has pioneered the South Carolina program to national recognition, expressed her appreciation for the integral role D’Angelo plays for the Gamecocks.
“Her steadiness and experience has really been key for us,” Smith said. “She’s meant a lot to the program, and someone that’s really going to be hard to replace.”