Hughes makes her mark at East Stroudsburg University

By Ric Webb

edwebb@berksmontnews.com
@berksmontsports on Twitter

With five goals and one assist, Daniel Boone High School graduate Sammi Jo Hughes is the leading scorer on the East Stroudsburg University women’s soccer team. The senior from Douglassville has not won any PSAC individual awards during her time at ESU, but head coach Rob Berkowitz believes she has deserved some.

“Sammi Jo has been a major contributor for the soccer team during her time at ESU,” said Berkowitz. “Much of what we do offensively is based around her strengths as a player. Her ability as a center forward to hold the ball with her back to goal allows us to play a possession oriented game. Sammi Jo might not get the recognition some of the other players do but she has been a vital member of the program from her first day on campus. Without her the level of success the team has achieved in her three-plus years would not have been possible. As senior captain her contributions on and off the field will play a major factor in how successful we are this year.”

Hughes made an impact on the team from her freshman year on. She started all 20 games for ESU, leading the team with 13 points, four goals and five assist. As a sophomore, Hughes played in 16 of the team’s 17 games, ranking second on the team in scoring with four goal and one assist for nine points. Her biggest season was as a junior when she had seven goals and three assists. Not coincidentally, that’s the season ESU won the PSAC championship.

“My career has been more than I could have wanted here at ESU,” said Hughes. “My freshman year I started every game and we were able to make it to the semifinals of our conference tournament. We also had a successful season my sophomore year and my junior year we were able to win the conference tournament! We were the No. 1 seed in our region in the NCAA Tournament and hosted the regional. I’m so happy that I have been able to be a part of it all.”

Of course, winning the league championship last year was a highlight of her four years at East Stroudsburg.

“Winning the tournament was more than just the title on paper,” said Hughes. “It showed us that when we worked together as a team, we were unstoppable. Every player on and off the field played such an important role in our success and we all were so happy that all our hard work paid off.

“Another memorable moment of my ESU career was beating West Chester at their field last season. We were on a seven-game winning streak and West Chester was the only team ahead of us in our conference. We were losing 1-0 and came back to win 2-1 in overtime. It was the first time last season that our team had faced a problem that we were able to solve together, and it was that game that let us know we could do anything we set out mind to.”

In three seasons on the Daniel Boone High School girls soccer team, Hughes scored 16 goals and added 11 assists. She was a team captain her junior and senior seasons, and was named to the All-Division as a junior, and the All-Berks County team as a senior. She was an All-Berks winner in basketball in her senior season at Boone.

“Soccer at Daniel Boone High School was fun,” said Hughes. “The best season was my sophomore year when we were able to make districts and play against bigger teams we never had the chance to play before. I enjoyed all the memories and friendships I made playing that year.”

The transition from high school to college soccer was not too difficult for Hughes, considering she led the team in scoring as a freshman at ESU. Still, she noticed right away that she was going to have to get stronger physically in order to compete against the women in college.

“The hardest part about the transition is the fitness and strength difference in the two,” said Hughes. “As an 18-year-old, you have to learn to play against 21-year-olds who are stronger than you. The fitness levels are also much higher in college and a lot more intense.”

Hughes has been playing soccer since she was five year old when she place for the Amity A.C.. In addition to high school soccer, she played on several club teams, including Vincent United, TEYSA and F.C. Delco. While playing for F.C. Revolution in Reading, she was noticed by the coaches at ESU. She decided that East Stroudsburg was the place for her and she never regretted her decision.

Hughes is a biochemistry major at ESU and hopes to work in a lab while furthering her education by pursuing her masters, or another graduate program.