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General - Two-year letter winner who was a starter as a redshirt freshman in 2006 as a striker...battled some illness issues last year but was still a major contributor off the bench in 16 games...will again play a significant role for the Tar Heels coming off the bench at the forward spot in 2008...one of Carolina's most pleasant surprises in 2006 as she earned her first varsity letter...coming off a red-shirt season because of injury in 2005, she excelled in the preseason and earned a spot in the starting lineup for the Tar Heels...started for more than half of the season and played in every game, eventually tying the NCAA record for games played in a season...coach Anson Dorrance says Smith's performance in spring practice of 2006 was an eye opener for the coaches...she overcame a calf injury to return to full strength in 2006 and earned not just significant playing time on the front line but also a starting position for the tar Heels...she made a great investment in her game in the fall of 2005 after returning to the pitch following knee surgery during her senior year in high school...coach Dorrance says she has a similar work ethic to that of her roommate and best friend, Yael Averbuch.
Club Soccer - Played for the PTCYSA Lazers in 1999, '86 CASL Black Caps (a boys team) in 2001, the '85 CASL Elite from 2001-02 and the '86 CASL Spartan Elite in 2003-04...played on a club team which won a state championship in 2003...member of ODP State Team from 1999-2004...earned membership on the Region III ODP team in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Redshirt Sophomore Season (2007) - Missed several games in mid-season because of illness but worked hard to get back in the lineup by season's end... appeared in 16 games during her redshirt sophomore season... scored two goals and had two assists, totaling six points on the season... scored the game-winning goal against Texas A&M for her first goal of the season...scored two games later at UNC Greensboro... tallied assists against San Francisco and Virginia Tech...named to spring semester 2008 Dean's List...tapped for 2007-08 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Redshirt Freshman Season (2006) -- Played in all 28 matches in the 2006 NCAA championship season...started 17 games on the season with most her starts coming in the first half of the campaign...was one of Carolina's leading scorers with 14 points on five goals and four assists...in the first home game of her career she scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over UNC Greensboro...helped ignite the comeback from a 2-0 halftime deficit against Connecticut by scoring the first goal of the second half, sparking the Tar Heels to a 3-2 victory over the Huskies...had a pair of goals in Carolina's 3-0 win over Maryland...her other goal came against Washington...two of her four assists came in the match at NC State...also assisted on goals against Marquette and Tennessee...was named to the Dean's List in the spring semester of 2007. True Freshman Season (2005) -- Redshirted during the 2005 season while rehabbing from knee surgery...named to the 2005-06 ACC Academic Honor Roll. Prep - Graduated on June 11, 2005 from East Chapel Hill High School...played varsity soccer there from 2001-05...was the soccer MVP there from 2002-2004...named to the All-State team in 2004...during her senior year, her high school team won the state championship...an adidas Scholar All-America selection in 2004...was named the Region Six Player of the Year, NCHSAA state championship game MVP, North Carolina Gatorade High School Player of the Year and News and Observer Player of the Year in 2004...holds the East Chapel Hill record for goals scored...made the academic honor roll from 2001-2005...was a coach for Special Olympics in her free time. Personal - Given name is Sterling Leigh Smith...nicknamed Ster...daughter of Roland and Viki Smith... born August 16, 1986 in Los Angeles, Calif. ... has one sister, Brighton, age 17... played on a boys club soccer team while living in France...her mom Viki was a cheerleader at UNC and her dad Roland played baseball at East Carolina.
2007-08 STERLING SMITH HONORS
About Sterling...
Career Statistics
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