Jim Fair
Kelsi Davis signs with Spartanburg Methodist College to play soccer in the fall. Her mother, Brandi Sims, is at her side.
Jim Fair
Kelsi Davis of Greer High School signs her letter of intent with the Spartanburg Methodist College women’s soccer team. Back row left to right: Carolina Football Club Executive Director Rafe Mauran, Carolina FC coach Ron DePaol, sister, Brylee Sims, and her mother, Brandi Sims.
Jim Fair
Family, friends and teammates were at Mutt's Tuesday to celebrate Kelsi Davis signing to play college soccer.
Davis has played at Greer High School and on elite travel teams for the Carolina Football Club in Spartanburg. She started her first three years at Greer and elected not to play her senior year with the Yellow Jackets.
The signing took place at Mutt’s with friends, family and former Greer coach Rob DePaol attending. DePaol, is coaching Davis for the fourth year with the Carolina FC in Spartanburg and Davis is also coaching children on the developmental level.
Davis is left-footed. “She isn't atypical player,” DePaol said. “She is what coaching staffs like. She has good quality of technical skills.”
“Players like Kelsi make the younger players inspire to word hard,” Rafe Mauran, Executive Director of the Carolina FC in Spartanburg, said.
Davis is playing club soccer and hitting balls with SMC players to stay active in soccer.
Davis doubled up on soccer leagues on the weekend. Ironically, a player now at SMC invited her to play for a Hispanic team. She would drive 45 minutes away from her afternoon club game to get in additional playing time. “I wore this awesome (Columbian) jersey and learned a lot about their culture and passion,” Davis said.
“A lot of times it wasn’t official full-time game but you learned so much, not as much technically, as their heart and passion playing,” Davis said. “Everybody in the family is there to watch, I got to see everybody’s different perspective … playing against teams like Dorman, Germany and other (high school) teams.”
Davis was All-Region II AAA her sophomore year and was selected the “Jacket Award” winner as the team’s most valuable player.
She has maintained a 3.4 grade point average and has volunteered in community service with Greer Rescue, Greer Mission and the Soup Kitchen.
“I love soccer,” Davis said. “It keeps me stable. I use soccer as my way to get my emotions out. It has always been my go-to … it gives me balance.”
There has been one goal for Davis since her youth playing days. “I want to play for USC,” she said. “As I matured you learn if you’re not recruited you’re not going to be on the team.
“My goal now is to go to SMC the first two years and hope to get help being recruited for the next two years. I am taking psychology and I understand they have a good program at USC. I just want to go there.
“Playing college soccer is my dream and playing for USC is bigger,” Davis said.