Congratulations to the OrthoCarolina Players of the Month for August!

Benjamin Shine, 2013 CSA York King: Benjamin Shine brings positive energy to trainings and focus to games. Benjamin, otherwise known as “Benji” to his teammates, had a clean sheet throughout the 2024/25 season, up to our last game, where one slipped through. Benji takes command of the field, motivating and directing players during matches.  Benji’s protection of the goal is nothing short of making him one of the best in his age bracket, where he showcases skills of getting big in front of the net, having stellar reflexes with kick saves and dives, as well as having a ball played back, and distributing accordingly. Benji continues to perfect his art by attending the keeper trainings as well as working outside of team trainings on his own. In the past month, Benji has shown more growth playing 11V11 for his first season and protecting a bigger goal by cutting down angles and playing outside the box to help the team clear the ball. Benji was key in winning the CSA DSG Tournament in our age bracket, allowing only two goals in the four games played. This recognition is well deserved, as he has been able to give the teams he has been with an upper hand as their keeper.

Nadia Houdek, 2013 Charlotte SA Blue RL: Nadia is an exceptional player for her age. Her understanding of the game is extremely high as well as her technical skills. She has moved beyond just playing the game to understanding and knowing the game on a higher level. What really makes her such a good player is how great of teammate she is and the effort she puts into every training session and game. 

Sebastian Rendon, 2013 Charlotte SA National ECNL: Sebastian has helped the team start the season off very competitively. His creativity and drive has contributed to quite a few goals already! He is helping others in the team push the level of intensity in training to get more out of ourselves each day. 

Sydney Harper, 2014 CSA Charlotte Elite 1 G: Sydney and her teammates have gotten off to a fantastic start this season. They’re currently undefeated and just won the CSA Invitational. She currently leads the team in goals with 4 goals in 6 matches. We’ve got 3 games left this month and she’ll look to add to her tally.