Hudson enjoyed playing her career under pressure

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

Girls' Soccer Player of the Year: Sandi Hudson, Wando

Senior helped Wando to back-to-back titles

Wando senior Sandi Hudson has a knack for keeping games as uninteresting as possible for her keeper.

Hudson, a senior sweeper for the Warriors, has been the driving force behind one of the stingiest defenses in high school girls' soccer. Wando allowed only three goals en route to a 25-1 record and its second straight state championship.

"There have been some boring games back there," Wando coach Shannon Champ said. "That's a credit to the whole defensive line and the rest of the team."

Hudson was named the Class AAAA player of the year by the South Carolina Coaches Association of Women's Sports. She's also The Post and Courier All- Lowcountry player of the year.

Joining Hudson on The Post and Courier All-Lowcountry first team are teammates Shawn Haviland and Olivia Urig, Bishop England's Elizabeth Miller, Erika Christensen, Abigail Thompson and Tess Gillis, Summerville's Lesley Sweat and Kendall Bacon, Academic Magnet's Emily Farrier and James Island's Marissa Terry. Champ was named the coach of the year after winning her second state title in three years at Wando.

"I love playing defense," Hudson said. "There's more pressure. If you make a mistake, someone could score. You have to be encouraging of everyone around you, and you have to have faith that someone will be there for you."

She was at the center of a relatively young defensive line for Wando, but Champ said Hudson provided a level of comfort for her.

"(Hudson's) been playing varsity since her freshman year. She knows what it takes," Champ said. "She's bought into what I'm trying to do here. She does great things on the field, but she's also a great leader.

"She's been playing the game since a young age and she just knows what to do in any situation. And, she has no problem telling everyone else what they need to do. That's hard to find. I think it's great because I can only do so much from the sidelines. She's going to be a tough act to follow."

Even though she has the skills to play other positions, Hudson said she's more comfortable in the back, which made it easier knowing Wando was going to need her experience on defense to help her younger teammates.

"I knew I'd have to take a leadership role (this year) because I saw how young they are, but they're pretty good leaders themselves," Hudson said.

Coming off one state title, Hudson said this season was both more stressful and more enjoyable.

"This year when we won state was my best moment. Being a senior and wanting to prove we deserved to be the champions and that we deserved to be the champions last year was good," she said. "There was a lot of pressure because we started No. 1 and never lost it. There was a lot of pressure that someone could beat us at any time."

One of the most pressure-packed games was the Lower State championship, in which Wando had to go to overtime, sudden death and finally penalty kicks to beat Summerville, 1-0. At a time when any goal would have put an end to an otherwise great season, Hudson's experience was helpful in keeping her teammates focused.

"I just had to keep everyone playing the way they had (through the season) and keep their confidence in what they can do," she said.

Hudson's playing career has come to an end. She made the decision when she was a sophomore that she wouldn't try to extend her playing days into college. Instead, she will attend Georgia and major in history, with the aim of becoming a law student.

"Soccer is a lot of fun, but it's your life when you're playing soccer. I want to be a lawyer and I'll need the time for study. I know I'm not going to be a pro soccer player," she said. "It was fun, but I'm going to take an education route now."

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5595 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.