AYW Spotlight | Savannah McCaskill
RICHMOND, VA (October 26, 2016) – The ECNL and the Amazing Young Women movement is dedicated to showcasing females that have helped shape the league into the top female youth soccer development platform in the world. As part of the movement, the ECNL is encouraging amazing young women to share their stories. We are excited to announce Savannah McCaskill as the ECNL Amazing Young Woman Spotlight of the Week. McCaskill is a junior for the University of South Carolina (USC), and ECNL Alumni of Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA).
McCaskill is a native of Chapin, South Carolina where she played club soccer at CESA, a current ECNL member club. She was team captain for CESA’s 1995 team, where her leadership skills truly began to evolve. McCaskill was named to the 2012 San Antonio All-Event Team and invited to both the 2012 and 2013 ECNL Southeast Player Development Program. She was a four-star prospect, ranked No. 51 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer coming out of high school and tallied 9 goals and 7 assists during her final season.
The USC Gamecocks clinched the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season title this past weekend with two second half goals by McCaskill to beat Tennessee 2-0, and continue their reign as the only unbeaten team in Division I women’s soccer this year. The two goals put McCaskill in the history books with 13 goals, just one shy of matching USC’s singe-season record. Currently she is tied for 8th in the country for goals, while her 7 game-winning goals have her ranked 2nd overall.
McCaskill has been an impact player for the Gamecocks since she joined the program, starting all 25 games and being named SEC Freshman Player of the Year with 15 points on the season. She continued to find success her sophomore year as she once again started every game, leading the team in both points and goals. She also set the USC sophomore record for assists, coupled with 1.45 points per game ranking her third in the SEC. Her sophomore season performance garnered her several postseason accolades including First-Team All-SEC, NSCAA All-South Region First Team and NSCAA All-America Third Team.
Prior to her junior season beginning, she received national attention by being named to the 2016 Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer presented annually to one male and one female athlete. This season McCaskill has elevated her game even further, and alongside her teammates the Gamecocks are a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. The team has outscored conference opponents 20-3, 7 of which were goals by McCaskill. She has been named SEC Player of the Week (Sept. 6) and NCAA Women’s Soccer Player of the Week (Sept. 7).
“Savannah is without a doubt one of the top college players in the country.” said Andrew Hyslop, CESA Director of Coaching. “She is extremely competitive and is driven to continue to be a student of the game. Her individual ability is obvious when watching her play, but what I am most proud of is that she is a role model for our younger players to look up to. The way that Savannah approaches playing the game leaves no doubt that she is committed to both her individual performance and the success of her team. The competitive environment that the ECNL fosters gave Savannah the platform she needed to continue to develop as a player. She took advantage of the opportunity to play with and against the best youth players in the nation. Our Southeast Conference play, National Event structure and PDP opportunities were instrumental in her growth as a player and our club is very proud of all she has accomplished.”
We wish Savannah McCaskill the best of luck in this current college season, as conference play nears the final week. Thank you for being an Amazing Young Woman and blazing the trail for others.
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About Amazing Young WomenTM: Launched by the ECNL, the Amazing Young Women is a dynamic platform of online and local market activations that showcase and celebrate female role models offering an aspirational focus for all female athletes and teens as they prepare to be our next generation of leaders. The ECNL is calling on all of the nation’s women to join the movement to celebrate the endless potential of today’s girls.
Women of all ages can share their personal moments of inspiration through social media and at www.AmazingYoungWomen.com. Every share and submission helps drive a movement that celebrates the power of what it is to be a girl today.
Amazing Young Women of the ECNL will be showcased at AmazingYoungWomen.com. Through testimonials, tips and tools, the website is providing all girls to view, share, and celebrate what it is to be motivated, strong, and successful.
About Elite Clubs National League: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for college and youth national teams through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
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