The following is a personality profile written for JOMC 191: Sportswriting, where I covered the UNC women's soccer season.

Gaston excelling despite injuries

When senior defender Leslie Gaston went down with a knee injury in practice Thursday, the North Carolina women’s soccer team feared the worst.

“When it happened in practice, we thought it was catastrophic,” said Coach Anson Dorrance. “It’s almost like you can’t injure Leslie catastrophically because she’s so tough.”

“If it’s just an issue of playing through pain, it’s not an issue for her.”

It turns out the injury was not enough to keep Gaston out very long. After missing UNC’s 6-1 thrashing of Radford in Friday’s first round of the NCAA tournament, Gaston was back on the field for the Tar Heels’ second round 3-1 win over Wake Forest.

Gaston’s quick return should not be too surprising. This injury did not even require surgery, as did 11 previous knee injuries in her soccer career.

The first major injury came in 1995, when Gaston tore her left ACL. She would recover and, with no girl’s soccer team at her school, she played on the boy’s squad. She would eventually be an All-American in girl’s soccer and a state medalist in track.

When Gaston got to Carolina, more injuries came. She tore another ACL in 1998 and an MCL a year later. After seven knee surgeries in college, she is a constant presence on the UNC back line. Before Friday, Gaston had played in every one of Carolina’s 72 games the past three years, starting most.

“There are few people I admire and respect more than Leslie, especially in light of the tremendous adversity she’s fought through.” Dorrance said.

All Gaston’s hard work culminated Nov. 10, when she was named Most Valuable Player in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Birmingham, Ala. native led a UNC defense that allowed only one shot on goal in the three games of the tournament.

“I was really surprised, but I felt very honored,” Gaston said. “I think the award reflects our defense entirely with the back four: the three defenders and Jenni Branam in goal.”

Modesty aside, Gaston is the leader of an impenetrable Carolina defense that has given up .64 goals per game on the season.

“What she provides, which is absolutely fantastic in a defender, is the gift of fury,” said Dorrance. “She has an incredibly aggressive personality and is very, very determined, very fast and very courageous.”

While superstar teammate Catherine Reddick steps up to score goals and gets all the publicity, Gaston quietly plays rock solid defense and does not ask for any credit.

“She’s real giving. She’s never selfish,” said Reddick, who played on a club team with Gaston in high school. “She’ll take the blame if we lose and give everybody else the credit if we win.”

As a captain, Gaston means as much to the team off the field as she does on it. If setting an example with her hard work is not enough, Gaston takes an active role in team leadership.

Gaston and fellow senior and captain Susan Bush try to make the team an inclusive group.

“It’s not just the girls that play that make this program,” Gaston said. “Everyone here is important and I try to make everyone feel that way.”

Gaston does not reserve her people skills for the soccer team. She is a bartender at Chapel Hill restaurants Pantana Bob’s and Spanky’s.

Jarvis Broom, Gaston’s co-worker at Spanky’s, said Gaston has the same attitude behind the bar as she does on the field.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but she does do the whole service with a smile thing,” Broom said. “She doesn’t exclude anyone from being happy.”

Working two jobs and being a Division 1 athlete is not easy, especially on a team like Carolina that made several trips across the country during its regular season. Throw in a full slate of classes and it all adds up to a busy life for the communications major, but Gaston does not mind all the time commitments.

“I think it’s actually been wonderful because it’s a skill I’m going to be able to use my entire life,” she said.

It’s not all business though. When she’s not tending to her defensive duties, a bar or the classroom, Gaston is likely to be tending to her couch, staring at the television. She is, after all, a college student. Gaston said all her other activities take away some of the pressure of performing on the prominent stage of UNC soccer.

The pressure does not seem to have bothered her so far and if Dorrance is right, a new stage awaits Gaston. “I think she’s going to have a wonderful opportunity to play in the women’s pro league and I think that’s to her credit,” he said.

For now, Gaston is concentrating on playing for her third NCAA title and staying busy off the field. But if pro coaches are looking for guts, they need not look further than Leslie Gaston.