Danford named North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year

CHICAGO, IL – UNC Greensboro women’s soccer recruit Nicole Danford has been named the 2008 Gatorade North Carolina Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

The midfielder from Green Hope, NC, received the award after leading the Green Hope Falcons to a 16-3-1 record with 16 goals and seven assists.

Danford, a midfield/defender, has played 12 years for the North Carolina Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) under the direction of Jay Howell. For the past six years, she has been a member of the North Carolina State Olympic Development (ODP) Team. Last year, her ODP team won the Region III Premier championship and the NC State Cup title, making them the first women’s team in North Carolina to take both titles in the same year. In 2006, she was selected to the Region III ODP player pool and in 2005, she was a member of the Super Y National team.

Captain of her team at Green Hope High School, Danford was named to the Tri-Eight all-conference team her first three years with the Falcons. She is a two-time all-region selection and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player as a sophomore.

The Gatorade State Players of the Year are chosen for not only for their achievements on the field, but for their academic achievements and character off of the field as well. All state winners are automatically eligible for the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

The Gatorade Company has been honoring America’s elite high school student-athletes since 1985. Now in the third decade of honoring the nation’s best, the Gatorade Player of the Year has become one of the more celebrated awards in high school sports.

For news about UNCG women’s soccer, complete season schedule, and any other information regarding Spartan athletics log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.

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