By Mahlyk Davis

Sports Editor

As a junior, senior soccer star Nina Stine shattered South’s program record for goals in a season. On Thursday against Park Hill South, she added another feat to her storybook high school career as she surpassed Sharaya Sidebottom, scoring her 61^st and 62nd career goals, and becoming the all-time goals leader for the Lady Jags soccer program.
Stine, who signed to play soccer at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in February, is in her fourth year as a starting forward for the Jaguars. As she continues to compete on a day to day basis against the state’s toughest competition, Stine has no agenda for personal accolades.
“The record is a great accomplishment to have under my belt, but the record I hold wouldn’t have been possible at all without my teammates,” Stine said.  “They are the ones that give me amazing balls that most of the time I just happen to tap in. I think as a team we are pretty focused in general. We can mess around but we know when to do work because we want to win districts and do well in conference.”
The girls soccer team is off to a terrific start. With a record of 10-4(3-2), head coach Todd Findley is hopeful the team will continue their success in conference play. He weighs in on the impact having such a dependable leader and scorer as Stine has on the team’s early success.
“It’s nice knowing Nina will step up as a leader,” Findley said. “She sees things that I can’t see on the field and always knows how to motivate her teammates. She’s always ready to play and determined to win.”
Although Stine has many physical traits that allow her to excel, the intangible aspects of her game separate her from the vast majority. Junior defender Taylor Gardner weighs in on the kind of teammate Stine has proven to be.
“Nina is the definition of a great teammate,” Gardner said. “Every game we can count on her and her drive to put the ball in the back of the net and it’s truly a key part of our success. She is one of the most dependable girls on the team and we all look up to her for that reason.”
Stine came into Thursday’s game with the same approach as any other game. The team has relied heavily on her ability to seemingly score at will, so she tried her hardest to put the thought of the record aside. She compared the excitement she felt after scoring the record-breaking goal to that felt after accomplishing another great feat.
“My excitement was about the same as my very first goal freshman year because it was such a big accomplishment for a freshman to score in a varsity game,” Stine said.