Photo by: Shawn Nestor
No Doubt
10/30/2018 3:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
IRVING — After two knee surgeries as an adolescent, no club soccer experience since the 8th grade and at one point even quitting soccer while in high school, Dominique James sat and watched as her teammates at Keller Central High School began to collect scholarship offers.
James was even told by her own coaches that she'd have a difficult time playing at the college level because of how far behind she was.
Well, on Tuesday the Mean Green junior center back was voted by the Conference USA soccer coaches as the 2018 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
"I do think it's special how far I've come," James said. "It's pretty rewarding and I think shows that if you are confident and put your mind to anything you can accomplish anything."
While James watched her friends reel in offers it wasn't until a high school match against Denton Ryan where James would grab the attention of North Texas' head coach John Hedlund.
At the match to watch Ryan's senior UNT commit and current Mean Green senior as well as fellow starting center back, Carissa Sanders, Hedlund saw first-hand what a he'd been tipped off about.
"Her speed was overwhelming," Hedlund recalled. "She did really well against Carissa who was a tough task and once we brought (James) in and talked to her we had to offer her."
North Texas would end up being her only offer.
As a freshman, James bounced around from forward to outside defensive back, but once she moved to the center back position alongside Sanders is when she and Hedlund believed her talent began to soar.
"She really developed into that position,"Hedlund said. "You got to see her speed and watch her command the defense. It was great for her as a soccer player and of course great for the team as our backline got stronger."
James who could be described as a no nonsense team-leader, surprisingly said she was nervous when she first joined the Mean Green in 2016 as a freshman but made it a goal to earn as much playing time as possible.
When she got her first start seven matches into her freshman season a sense of ease came over her.
"I was really nervous making that jump at first," James said. "But realizing I could play with older girls and that we were all in this together for a common goal of winning a championship and continuing the program's winning tradition made things a lot easier."
With each match James said her confidence began to rise and that while she's always been a confident woman, she realized she could be more confident and as a center back that'd be key for her and the team's success.
Now a junior, who was named the youngest team captain in program history last season and has earned 53 consecutive starts and was named by the UNT Athletic Department last year as the Female Athlete of the Year has been recognized by not just UNT but by a larger soccer community as being the best at her craft.
While on Tuesday the award is a no-brainer, as she was first-team all-conference last year and was named the 2018 C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and earned more C-USA Defensive Player of the Week awards than anyone else this season, James says she wouldn't have gotten it if she had ever doubted herself like others have in the past.
"Having the self-confidence to believe in myself has always been important to me," James said. "I don't think I've got anything to prove to anyone except that I'm confident in myself."
James was even told by her own coaches that she'd have a difficult time playing at the college level because of how far behind she was.
Well, on Tuesday the Mean Green junior center back was voted by the Conference USA soccer coaches as the 2018 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
"I do think it's special how far I've come," James said. "It's pretty rewarding and I think shows that if you are confident and put your mind to anything you can accomplish anything."
While James watched her friends reel in offers it wasn't until a high school match against Denton Ryan where James would grab the attention of North Texas' head coach John Hedlund.
At the match to watch Ryan's senior UNT commit and current Mean Green senior as well as fellow starting center back, Carissa Sanders, Hedlund saw first-hand what a he'd been tipped off about.
"Her speed was overwhelming," Hedlund recalled. "She did really well against Carissa who was a tough task and once we brought (James) in and talked to her we had to offer her."
North Texas would end up being her only offer.
As a freshman, James bounced around from forward to outside defensive back, but once she moved to the center back position alongside Sanders is when she and Hedlund believed her talent began to soar.
"She really developed into that position,"Hedlund said. "You got to see her speed and watch her command the defense. It was great for her as a soccer player and of course great for the team as our backline got stronger."
James who could be described as a no nonsense team-leader, surprisingly said she was nervous when she first joined the Mean Green in 2016 as a freshman but made it a goal to earn as much playing time as possible.
When she got her first start seven matches into her freshman season a sense of ease came over her.
"I was really nervous making that jump at first," James said. "But realizing I could play with older girls and that we were all in this together for a common goal of winning a championship and continuing the program's winning tradition made things a lot easier."
With each match James said her confidence began to rise and that while she's always been a confident woman, she realized she could be more confident and as a center back that'd be key for her and the team's success.
Now a junior, who was named the youngest team captain in program history last season and has earned 53 consecutive starts and was named by the UNT Athletic Department last year as the Female Athlete of the Year has been recognized by not just UNT but by a larger soccer community as being the best at her craft.
While on Tuesday the award is a no-brainer, as she was first-team all-conference last year and was named the 2018 C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and earned more C-USA Defensive Player of the Week awards than anyone else this season, James says she wouldn't have gotten it if she had ever doubted herself like others have in the past.
"Having the self-confidence to believe in myself has always been important to me," James said. "I don't think I've got anything to prove to anyone except that I'm confident in myself."
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
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