Nov. 4, 2008
Captains’ Blog
Every Monday during the 2008 women’s soccer season, one of the three team captains will visit GamecocksOnline.com to give an inside look into what it is like to be a South Carolina women’s soccer student-athlete. Bookmark the Captains’ Blog and check back frequently for the stories told by senior Danila Monteiro and juniors Blakely Mattern and Kim Miller.
 Danila Monteiro |
 Blakely Mattern |
 Kim Miller |
November 3, 2008 – Dani Monteiro
I would like to start this blog saying thank you very much for our Gamecock fans for supporting us for the entire 2008 season. We appreciate your passion and attention for our team. I also want to say thank you for Shelley, Jamie and Mat for recruiting me last year, I could not spend any other days of my life in a better place, where I learned so much through my carreer and of course to my teammates that support me with my injuries and will help me get the SEC’s tittle this week when we travel to Orange Beach, AL.
Before the game against Florida the girls surprised me decorating the entire locker room, Girls that was a mass!!! I was so happy to see that they did all that for me, because was my senior night and being the lone senior is being a tremendous experience. Plus the team was ready to go and defend our field and a streak to don’t lose at home specially against Florida. Florida is a very good team that is showing in the competition that they are the team to beat, but we were ready to show in the National television that South Carolina is the New SEC’s Champions.
Coaches honored me before the kick off. I was holding myself because I was about to cry soo much, plus I had two of the most important people walking with me. They gave me flowers and frame with one of my favorite picture, myself and cocky. My boyfriend Paul and my best friend Ashley Kirk. I could not choose anyone else that could replace my mom besides them. Thank you very much Kirk and Paul for walking me in my lone senior night. I appreciated! Also thank you for my coaches for helping me battle against injuries, off the field to be more mature and on the field to be a leader.
Yeah the game started and I was super excited about it. Just the fact that could not play last year because of my ACL tear against Florida, gave to me more energy and enthusiasm to play against them. We started very well showing to Florida that wouldn’t be easy to beat us at home. Our team came out strong and ready to battle until the end of the game. We had so many chances in the game that everyone knew that we could win that game. They scored in the second half from a small break down in our team. We know that against top teams in the country the difference is that if they have a small or
just one chance to score they can finish, and that is exactly what happened. We battled all the way thought the end. We never gave up. To prove this we actually had two corners and other more chances, right at the end of the game. Ok we lost, but we learned from our mistakes and we get better. We are much a strong and determined team this year to go to the tournament and bring back home the SEC title. We will take from anybody, anywhere and at anytime. Our team is one confident, smart, experienced, unique, fast and determined to battle against any other team and win this week the Championship!!!
Girls here we go!!! Will be hard and will take everyone of us working together, battle every single minute in every game that we play to bring back home our dream and the whole year work to win the SEC’s, proving to everyone and to ourselves that with hard work and determination anything is possible.
We are starting against Georgia, the bulldogs on Wednesday @ 8:30pm and the only thing that will satisfy out team is the victory. Yeahhhhhhh girls lets get them and bring back home that SEC Championship. Believe girls because our dreams can come true as long as we work together, never give up, put our hearts in every challenge and have faith ion each other. Gooooooooooooooo Gamecocks!
Dani 8
