University of South Carolina Aiken Athletics

Every student-athlete has a story to tell. However, University of South Carolina Aiken women’s soccer standout Hannah Allison’s journey to reach Aiken, S.C., is a bit longer than most.

As a teenager, Allison was an all-state selection at Riverside H.S. She was arguably the most dynamic soccer player in the state. Allison reached the pinnacle of success as a junior as she was tabbed the South Carolina Player of the Year. She was a four-year all-state selection.

However, Allison was not about individual awards. Her concern was to help her teammates improve and lead them to unprecedented heights, which she did by helping the school win a pair of Class 3-A state championships.

When a student-athlete is as good at her sport as Allison was, it is assumed that she would head to college on a scholarship. However, it was not the case with the 5-5 offensive juggernaut.

“I had offers from different universities,” Allison said. “Furman was the main one I was considering because I wanted to play at the Division I level.”

Allison felt like she knew the school fairly well as the school was closely affiliated with her club team that she played on.

Allison struggled with the decision because she felt burnt out from playing soccer year round.

“With high school soccer, it was fun atmosphere,” Allison stated. “There was a lot less pressure than on the ECNL club team, which traveled to Washington, New Jersey and other places. The travel was too much for me and I didn’t want to go through with that anymore, so I explored my options.”

Allison’s older sister, Lauren, had recently attended South Carolina.

“Lauren was doing really well after she graduated,” Allison said. “She found a job quickly and was making good money. I saw how she was doing and thought I would emulate her. I was going to not play soccer and focus on earning a degree in sport management.”

Once she arrived on campus, Allison’s feelings changed.

“I liked the thought of following in my sister’s footsteps,” Allison stated. “Once I got to South Carolina, I knew the school was not the place for me. It was not the atmosphere I was looking for.”

Growing up, Allison had played against Caroline Gillespie, who finished her collegiate career in 2014. Allison reached out to Gillespie via a text message and said she was interested in playing soccer again.

“I was unsure of where Caroline was attending college, but I knew she was a couple hours away from my home (Beaufort, S.C.).”

Within a couple of hours of the text exchange between the two, former USC Aiken coach Sue Vodicka said she would have a spot on the team.

“I didn’t want to have to go through a tryout process and fortunately Coach Vodicka was not going to make me,” Allison said. “That was one of the biggest factors in why I visited. Once I visited, (former USC Aiken standout) Kyle Maguire influenced me. There was no doubt about coming to Aiken.

“I showed up a week before preseason in 2013 and met some of the team,” Allison stated. “It was a bit of an adjustment period for me. The first time I worked out, I ran around the Convocation Center and threw up. I followed it up by not playing well in the preseason. Having not played in a couple of years, I was unsure if I would be good or not.”

In her first match on the pitch for the Pacers, Allison netted the first goal of the season, giving USC Aiken a 1-0 lead over top-25 Rollins. In fact, Allison scored a goal in each of the team’s first three matches of the season. On Oct. 5, Allison poured in a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the 5-0 victory over Georgia Southwestern, marking her first multi-goal contest of her career.

In the season-opening match in 2014, the Pacers found themselves trailing 3-1 with just under 10 minutes to play. Allison received a pass from Jenna Beauregard and found the back of the net against Wingate at the 82:24 mark, making it a 2-1 contest. Then, with 1:46 to play, Allison found the back of the net again for the equalizer. Two days later, she scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Emmanuel. Her accolades were strong enough to not only be named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, but also be named the NSCAA National Player of the Week. The national honor was just the second time a PBC student-athlete had won the award.

After having totaled seven goals and two assists through the first 11 matches she played in last year, Allison went down on Oct. 6 at Flagler.

“Seven minutes into the match, there was a corner kick and I went up to head the ball and my knee stuck in a hole,” Allison said. “I thought I hyperextended it and laid there. A few minutes later, I went back on the field. The keeper had a goal kick and I jumped. I tried to land but my leg gave out like a noodle. There was absolutely no support on it. I didn’t know what was wrong with it. I never expected to have a torn ACL.

“I was devastated that I was hurt, but I was excited because we won in overtime,” Allison stated. “Four days after I was injured, I felt like I could walk better and do things close to normal. I put on a knee brace and went to the field and determined I could cut and sprint like before. My surgeon cleared me to play because I felt like I was at 80 percent effectiveness.”

She finished the 2013 campaign with 25 points on 10 goals and five assists. Last year, despite the opposition honing in on her in the offensive third, Allison managed to rack up nine goals and four assists for 22 points. Heading into the season, Allison has played in 31 matches, totaling 19 goals and nine assists. It puts her seventh on the USC Aiken career scoring list.

Many do not see the journey she has been on since high school, but Allison thrives at every situation she has been in. Despite all of the successes on the field, one of Allison’s top accomplishments came in the form of being selected to the PBC Honor Roll.

Although she is a big personality from time to time, Allison keeps many items close to herself and doesn’t let anyone in. She has not finished her journey, but regardless, the trip she has taken and obstacles she has overcome have been like few before her. With a solid season, Allison’s journey could be discussed for years to come because she could lead a lasting trail for others to follow.