TIARA SMITH COMPETES IN USASA SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
CARSON, Calif. ? University of South Alabama forward Tiara Smith competed for Team Florida at the 2008 George Donnelly Cup held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., last week.
Smith, a native of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., went 0-1-2 on the weekend with a 1-1 tie against Team Utah and dropped matches to Massachusetts (0-4) and Minnesota (1-2). Team Florida qualified for the Donnelly Cup by winning the Region III Select Title last June.
“Being selected to the team from Florida that competed for the national championship is a testament to the progress that Tiara has made as a player over the past couple years,” head soccer coach Mike Varga said. “The sky is the limit for Tiara and if she continues to work hard, the honors and achievements will continue to build.”
Smith paced the Jaguars on offense all season long as she scored a career high of 11 goals on the year. She added six assists on the season and has posted 36 points in just two seasons at USA. Smith was also named to the 2007 Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic and the Nicholls State University Classic all-tournament teams.
The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), the governing body of adult soccer in the United States, hosted the Donnelly Cup, which kicked off the Martin Luther King Holiday.
The George F. Donnelly Cup serves as the national championship for the USASA Elite Player Program, a program offered to high level players, who after several tryouts, become part of the Select Team of their state, consequently participating in regional tournaments with hopes to make it to the big national championship held annually.
