2013 TEAM CAPTAIN
2012 TEAM CAPTAIN
2011 SOCON TOURNAMENT MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
2011 SOCON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
2012 (junior): Named a team captain for the 2013 campaign . . . has only missed one match in her illustrious Samford career . . . has started in 63 of the team’s 64 contests since joining the team, including 57-consecutive matches dating back to Sept. 17, 2010 . . . started in all 20 of the Bulldogs’ contests in 2012 and logged a total of 1,547 minutes of playing time, which ranked fifth on the team . . . played a key role in Samford’s stingy defense that only allowed 25 goals and finished the season ranked fifth in the Southern Conference . . . registered a key assist in the Bulldogs’ 3-1 SoCon victory at Wofford (Sept. 30) . . . came up from her defensive position to rattle off eight shot attempts, three of which proved to be on goal for a .375 shots-on-goal percentage . . . logged at least 90 minutes of game action in nine matches, including a season-high 110-minute performance against Appalachian State (Oct. 7) . . . earned her third varsity letter.
2011 (sophomore): Named a Team Captain for the 2012 campaign . . . named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 SoCon Tournament where she helped lead Samford to the championship title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament . . . member of the SoCon All-Tournament Team . . . played a key role in Samford’s stingy defensive unit which finished the year ranked first in the SoCon in fewest goals allowed (0.86), goals-against average (0.82) and shutouts (9) . . . started in all 22 of the Bulldogs’ matches and logged a career-high total of 1,974 minutes of playing time . . . tallied key assists against College of Charleston on Sept. 30 and Western Carolina on Oct. 30 . . . finished the season with two points and 15 shot attempts . . . played a minimum of 61 minutes in a single match over the course of the season, while she logged at least 100 minutes in four separate contests . . . tied her career-high of 110 minutes played in a match against Elon on Sept. 24 . . . earned her second varsity letter.
2010 (freshman): Scored the game-winning goal in the Bulldogs’ 4-3 victory against The Citadel in the semifinal round of the SoCon Tournament (Nov. 5) . . . the decisive score occurred in the 86th minute of play . . . earned playing time in 21 of the team’s 22 matches and was listed in the starting lineup 21 times as a true freshman . . . logged 1,731 minutes of game action, which was the fourth highest on the team . . . finished the season with two goals and an assist for a total of five points . . . rattled off 16 shot attempts, with seven coming on goal for a solid .438 shots-on-goal percentage . . . scored the game-winning goal in the Bulldogs’ 4-0 non-conference victory against Southern Miss (Sept. 4) . . . from her midfield position, she played a key role in Samford’s defense which finished the season as the No. 19-ranked team in the nation in shutout percentage (0.55) . . . played the entire match 11 times, including a pair of career-high 110-minute performances against Davidson (Oct. 22) and Davidson (Oct. 31) . . . earned her first varsity letter.
High School: Named Waterdown District High School’s Athlete of the Year all four years . . . trained with the National Team Development Program and has been a member of the Ontario Provincial Team since the age of 14 . . . started in every match while competing for Ontario en route to leading her squad to the U16 National Championship title . . . also won the Ontario U16 League championship with her team, the Mississauga Falcons . . . one of Ontario’s most decorated soccer athletes . . . competed on the U14, U15 and U16 Team Ontario, where she won Gold for the U16 National All Stars in Edmonton . . . competed in several triathlons and also lettered in basketball, water polo, badminton and cross country at WDHS. . . team captain of both the soccer and basketball squads . . . trains at the National Training Centre in Ontario.
Personal: Born March 5, 1992 . . . daughter of Dena and Steve Thomas . . . her father lettered in swimming and water polo at McMaster University . . . her mother lettered in swimming at the University of Waterloo . . . majoring in sports medicine.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH THOMAS
The strangest nickname I ever had was: Shaniqua
I can’t imagine going a week without: my watch
I have to admit, I am really good at: establishing routine
Favorite place to eat: Mellow Mushroom
Favorite songs: “Streets of Philadelphia” and “Beautiful Day”
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
My favorite Samford memory is:
Winning the Southern Conference Tournament my sophomore year. Knowing we had won the league and the conference and were headed to the NCAA Tournament was a great feeling. Winning and doing something special like that only made me appreciate being a part of a team and the cohesive effort and mentality of the whole year that brought us to that point.
The one thing I’ll miss the most about Samford soccer is:
The team and the hard times. The team is family and I have had 20 ladies who have pushed me, encouraged me and made me better on and off the field. I am blessed with the friendships I have formed through this team and I know it will not end when soccer does. I will miss the physically and mentally hard times on the field and in the weight room. Looking back on moments I am most proud of, they are times when I was most pushed to my max by the coaches and pushed to do something I did not think I was capable of doing.
The most important thing I can tell incoming freshmen is:
Realize that the time flies. Opportunities to do something really special do not come up often. For most of a day everyone, every person, athlete or non-athlete does very similar things and we live within our comfort zone. So when you step out on the field, for that couple hours a day to train or play, go as hard as you can. You will surprise yourself. You will learn hard lessons on the field that will prepare you for life after soccer and you will make your teammates better through pushing yourself, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
