Sterling Smith

Position:
Forward
Height:
5-7
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Chapel Hill, N.C.
High School:
East Chapel Hill

General: Three-year letter winner who was a starter as a redshirt freshman in 2006 as a striker... will again play a significant role for the Tar Heels coming off the bench at the forward spot in 2009... 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 former roommate, Yael Averbuch, member of WPS champion Sky Blue FC.

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.

Junior Season (2008): Played in 13 games last season as a backup striker...played a season-high 34 minutes against both Tennessee and NC State and 32 minutes against Kentucky...had her only point of the season when she assisted on a goal by Courtney Jones which put the Tar Heels up 3-0 at 72:26 in the game at Virginia...was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll...also made the Dean's List in the spring semester of 2009.

Sophomore Season (2007): Battled some illness issues but was still a major contributor off the bench in 16 games... 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 2008 ACC?Academic Honor Roll.

Freshman Season (2006): One of Carolina's most pleasant surprises in 2006 as she earned her first varsity letter... 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...started more than half of the season and played in every game, 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... 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.

Redshirt Season (2005): Redshirted during the 2005 season while rehabbing from knee surgery...named to the 2006 ACC?Academic Honor Roll.

Prep: Graduated on June 11, 2005 from East Chapel Hill High School...played 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...daughter of Roland and Viki Smith... born August 16, 1986 in Los Angeles, Calif. ... has one sister, Brighton, age 18... 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.

2008-09 STERLING SMITH HONORS
• 2009 ACC Academic Honor Roll
• Spring 2009 Dean's List

About Sterling...
Academic Major at Carolina: Elementary Education
Career Plans: Elementary teacher
Hobbies: Art, movies, reading, ping pong
Athlete I Most Admire: Messi
Biggest Sports Thrill: Scoring my first goal for UNC in our home opener in 2006
People with the Greatest Influence on my Athletic Career: My parents
Favorite Book: The Kite Runner
Favorite Foods: My Mom's chicken pot pie and the pasta that Maria Lubrano makes
Favorite Movie: Life is Beautiful
Favorite TV Show: The Office
Favorite Class I Have Taken at UNC: History of Western Civilization
Biggest Pet Peeve: Smacking gum or food
If I Could Travel Anywhere, It Would Be: Greece
What I Would Do on a Saturday Full of Free Time: Spend time with friends outdoors
If I Could Play Another Sport at Carolina, It Would Be: Tennis
What I Like Most About Coach Dorrance: The competitive training environment he has established that prepares us for games