Women's Soccer | June 30, 2026

AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA women's soccer program secured the Win The Day award for the 2025-26 academic year.

The Win The Day Award is presented annually to the USCA athletic program that best exemplifies excellence in the 4 C's – Campus, Community, Classroom and Competition. The award recognizes the team that most effectively advances the mission of Pacer Athletics through academic achievement, community engagement, campus involvement and competitive success. 

Under the guidance of head coach Adam Kleman and assistant coach Kinsie Mitchell, the Pacers posted an 8-7-3 record in 2025, including a 4-4-2 mark against conference foes. The eight victories marked the most since an 8-8-2 season in 2013 and tied for the third-most wins in a season in program history (12 in 2000 and 11 in 1998). The .500 winning percentage in PBC play marked just the fourth time the program had ever reached that plateau (.500 in 2000 and 2006 and .550 in 2022).

"There is a lot to be proud of competitively from the past season but ultimately it comes down to the student athletes within our program that believed in what we could accomplish," Kleman said. They invested in themselves and in one another to allow this program to climb from one victory in 2023 and three in 2024 as well as ascend from 30^th in the region to 15^th in 2025."

After dropping three straight matches in mid-October, USCA responded with a tie and two shutout victories against in-league foes (along with a shutout against region-foe Wingate) to close out the regular season. By doing so, the Pacers snagged seven of nine possible points for 14 points on the season. 

"That week could have defined our season for all the wrong reasons, yet we were able to learn, grow and apply the lessons in a positive manner over the finality of the season. Full credit to the team in their response to the adversity we encountered," Kleman stated.
 
In terms of the Win The Day philosophy, Kleman said, "I lean into that 1-0 victory over Wingate as a positive competitive representation of the Win The Day philosophy. We had 21 student-athletes available on the day and each player that night contributed with 20 of the 21 student athletes playing at least 38 minutes. The match-winning goal was scored by Cassidy Wines, which was her first career goal at USCA and a worthy one at that! To have that night be the first win over Wingate in program history and to do it with every student-athlete contributing that was available, it was a true team win and certainly a moment the team will always remember."

On campus, the program had a positive relationship with Pacer Union Board (PUB) and worked in collaboration to both sponsor and host events related to our match days or participate in campus PUB events. The team has a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with PUB where the student-athletes participate in the events as well as take active leadership roles within the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). 

"As a program, we truly appreciate having the opportunity to work alongside PUB as well as additional campus initiatives throughout the year," Kleman stated. "It is our goal to positively engage with the campus community and create relationships that go beyond athletics."

In the community, the women's soccer team went to local elementary schools twice each semester. The squad also adopted two angels from the Angel Tree over Christmas to purchase gifts for and provide each child with a positive Christmas experience.

"Being positive and consistent faces in the local community is a pillar that the team embodies with pride," Kleman said. "Coach Mitchell organizes a consistent presence within the local elementary schools as well as Aiken FC where the team coaches training sessions in the spring for the youth and the ladies are able to pass along their passion to the future athletes of Aiken."

The Pacers were equally impressive in the classroom. The squad produced a 3.425 team GPA for the academic year. Five student-athletes sported a 4.0 GPA in the spring and four more had above a 3.75 GPA. Seven student-athletes had a 4.0 GPA in the fall and six more had at least a 3.75 GPA. Two student-athletes graduated, including one that was cum laude. Overall, 23 of 28 student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA in the fall and 20 of 25 did in the spring.

"It is a core program standard that we strive each day to be the best versions of ourselves, 1% better today than yesterday, and through these incremental gains, we will continue to strive to reach levels not before seen," Kleman said.