Beth Sheppard

Position:
Midfielder
Height:
5-1
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Cypress, Texas
High School:
Cy-Fair

General--A very solid midfield player for the Tar Heels...three-year letter winner...started 23 games for the Tar Heels as a freshman in 1995...moved into a reserve role in 1996 in Carolina's loaded midfield unit...continued to make big plays for the Tar Heels during the course of the season...look for more unsung heroics by her in the coming season...she had to red-shirt during the 1997 season because of a foot injury...was limited in her playing time last year but came on strong at the end of the season...a tremendous team leader...does wonder to improve team chemistry...All-ACC Academic selection...member of four ACC champion and two NCAA champion teams at UNC.

1998 Season--Saw her first action of the season against San Francisco on September 25, 1998...got stronger as the season went on...got back into shape and played very down as the season wound down...saw action in a total of 17 games...scored goals against Clemson in the ACC Tournament final, against William & Mary in the NCAA third round and against Dartmouth in the NCAA quarterfinals...the goal against the Big Green was the game-winner...had an outstanding year in the classroom as well...earned status on the 1998-99 ACC Academic Honor Roll by earning a 3.574 grad point average on the year while majoring in physical education.

1996 Season--Played in 23 of the Tar Heels' 26 games...started contests against Clemson, St. Mary's and Brewton-Parker...she had two goals and six assists for 10 points...had the game-winning assists in both a 2-1 win over Duke and a 1-0 regular-season win over Santa Clara...scored a goal in the regular-season win over Virginia...had a goal and an assist in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against Florida State and an assist in the ACC title game versus Clemson.

1995 Season--Had a solid freshman season for Carolina in the midfield...started 23 of 26 games for the Heels...earned her first points of the year on three assists in the home opener against #18 N.C. State...added two assists in the next game against Indiana...had both a goal and an assist in the 7-1 win over Colorado College...scored goals in consecutive games versus #11 William & Mary and #4 Notre Dame in her native Houston, Texas...scored a goal in the national quarterfinals against #7 Santa Clara...finished seventh on the team in scoring with 17 points...her nine assists were the fifth highest total on the team...named to 1995-96 ACC Academic Honor Roll.

Prep--One of the top incoming freshman players in the nation in 1995...1995 Parade All-America selection...did not play high school soccer but competed for one of the top club teams in the country...played for coach Bob Lyons at Klein Challenge in Houston where she captained the team the last two years...The Challenge won the state championship in each of the last four seasons she played there...the team also won the Region III title in 1992 and 1994...The Challenge made it to the regional semifinals in 1995 and to the national finals in 1992 and 1994...she was named the MVP of the South Texas and Region III Tournaments in 1994...member of the Region III Olympic Development Program since 1992 and a member of the under-20 National Team Pool since 1994...has traveled to England, The Netherlands and Denmark with the under-19 Region team...was a member of the National Honor Society at Cy-Fair High School...graduated 23rd in a class of 398.

Personal--Bethany Ann Sheppard is the daughter of Ron and Patsy Sheppard...nicknamed "Shep"...now lives in Greensboro, N.C. after growing up in suburban Houston...was born April 11, 1977 in Houston, Texas...hobbies include hanging with family and friends, reading and playing guitar...athletes she most admires are Jim Valvano and Julie Foudy...biggest sports thrill was coming back against Santa Clara in 1997 NCAA semifinals because it got the team to the final game...exercise science major...wants to pursue a career as a pharmaceutical representative.

Beth Sheppard's Career Statistics