When Mia Brasel injured her ankle in Columbia’s season opener, the pressure was on for someone to step up and pick up the slack left behind by last season’s leading scorer.
Niki Sossie rose to the occasion.
The senior midfielder orchestrated the Tigers’ attack time and time again this year. She not only led Columbia with 18 goals but she also dished out an area-best 15 assists, playing a part in over half of her team’s 55 goals to lead the program back to the playoffs for only the second time in the last three seasons.
For her stellar season, Sossie has been named the LCR’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
“I tried to be more aggressive and just believe in myself a little bit more and take more shots,” said Sossie, who admitted to feeling a bit of pressure with Brasel injured.
Sossie’s totals were big jumps from her junior year where she scored six goals and had eight assists. But with Brasel sidelined, the Tigers were counting on Sossie to not only control the middle of the field but also score more.
It took a boost of confidence, but Sossie tackled the challenge. Sossie says the bonds she developed with her teammates — something she said she didn’t have when she played at Jensen Beach during her freshman and sophomore seasons — helped provide that boost.
Some extra encouragement from her coaches didn’t hurt either.
“My coaches really got on to me about dribbling and taking more shots and making plays after my passes,” Sossie said. “And I think I finally got it.”
Columbia coach Chip Garner wasn’t surprised to see Sossie’s goal totals go up. She started to show glimpses of her scoring ability last season when she scored four of her six goals in the Tigers’ final six games.
That carried right over to this year as she scored two goals in a 3-1 season-opening win over Keystone Heights and then two more in a 6-0 win over Fort White two nights later. By the time the season was over, Sossie had either scored a goal or had an assist in 14 of the Tigers’ 19 matches during a 13-5-1 campaign.
“We worked on some nerves and got her taking opportunities that she didn’t take last year,” Garner said. “She got a little more brave taking opportunities to shoot. We saw a glimpse of that at the end of last season, so we definitely expected her to be a vital player.”
Sossie finished the season with six multi-goal games, including a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Eastside. Garner attributes some of her goals this season to her passing ability as she’d often get the ball back after dishing to a teammate.
It proved to be a nightmare for opposing defenses as Sossie was often in the right place at the right time.
“She was so willing to distribute the ball when she came into that attacking third, and when she got opportunity to score in the box, she was always there following up,” Garner said. “And she got the ball back a lot. Her one-two passing, which we tend to run a lot, she was very good at that.
“She’s a smart player. She knows how to create space with her movement off the ball. It’s a rare thing to see in players. She just understood the game at the next level.”
As fun as it was to score goals, Sossie was prouder of her assists this season. She says when her dad coached her growing up, he emphasized the importance of being an all-around soccer player.
Sossie took that to heart.
“He would really stress being a team player and giving my teammates opportunities,” Sossie said. “That really stuck with me I think throughout this season especially. I always try to let my teammates score because I know they get really excited about it. I know I also got quite a few assists this season and I think I’m more proud of that than my own goals.”
Garner has high praise for Sossie’s passing ability. Her 15 assists were the most in a season during Garner’s eight years as head coach.
“She had arguably the best field vision I’ve ever seen at this level and that’s including some of the stronger competition we had the past couple of seasons,” Garner said. “She just has a great understanding of the game. We’re going to miss her next year for sure.”
Sossie is going to miss the Tigers too. While their season didn’t end as they hoped it would, losing to eventual state champion Ponte Vedra 8-0 in the regional quarterfinals, Sossie says the experiences she had and the friends she’s made during past two seasons are something she’ll always cherish.
“I really bonded with my teammates,” Sossie said. “The last high school I went to I didn’t have such a great time, but I really, really loved this team. I made some friends and that was really nice.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
F: Delilah Poore
Branford, sophomore
Led the 9-6-5 Buccaneers with 15 goals and 10 assists.
F: Savannah Creech
Branford, senior
Scored 12 goals and had five assists.
F: Carra Clark
Lafayette, junior
Scored 11 goals and had two assists.
F/MF: Ella McAdams
Lafayette, junior
Scored an area-most 28 goals to lead the 11-8-1 Hornets to a fourth straight district title.
MF: Niki Sossie
Columbia, senior
Led the LCR’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year led the 13-5-1 Tigers to the playoffs with a team-high 18 goals and an area-best 15 assists.
MF: Jean Paz-Garcia
Lafayette, junior
Led the Hornets with four assists and also scored 10 goals.
MF: Anndersn Fuller
Fort White, junior
Led the Indians with 11 goals and had two assists.
DEF: Kyndall Norris
Columbia, senior
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.5 goals per match.
DEF: Mariah Ross
Columbia, junior
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.5 goals per match.
DEF: Kiara Thompson
Columbia, senior
Helped limit opposing teams to 1.5 goals per match.
GK: Sadie Sparks
Columbia, sophomore
Only allowed 26 goals in 18 matches, posting seven shutouts with 104 saves.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chip Garner, Columbia
Led the Tigers to a 13-5-1 record and their second playoff appearance in the last three years after having never made it before in program history. Columbia went 3-0 against Suwannee, Fort White and Lafayette, outscoring the trio 16-1. The Tigers lost to Ponte Vedra in the regional quarterfinals, which went on to win the state championship and finish ranked second nationally by MaxPreps.