As a true freshman in 2008 Danica Saxon joined an East Texas Baptist University women's soccer program coming off a four-win season, the worst in the history of the program.

Seeing as Saxon came from a high school program that won two state championships at the TAPPS level, it was culture shock. But the gritty midfielder was determined to be part of a turnaround, and she joined her former high school coach to begin the process.

Now, just a year later, ETBU is preparing to make its first playoff trip since the 2006 season, the year before third-year head coach Paul Grant arrived. Saxon, the former standout at Tyler's All Saints Episcopal High School, has become exactly the type of young cornerstone Grant was looking for when he took on the challenge of rebuilding the Lady Tiger program following that four-win season in 2007.

"Danica was a big addition last year and obviously made a big impact," says Grant, whose Lady Tigers square off against Mary Hardin-Baylor in the first round of the American Southwest Conference Women's Soccer Championship Tournament Friday at 11 a.m. at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. "She is a true two-way player and wonder passer, and she is a player of tremendous quality who finds a way to help her team win."

Saxon made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2007, although the Lady Tigers missed the postseason with a 7-9 record despite going into the regular season finale with a shot at advancing to the tournament. A loss in that finale ended ETBU's playoff hopes but set the stage for what has been a magical season to this point.

"The biggest adjustment I had to make in my game at the college level was adjusting to the speed of play," said Saxon, who scored a team-high seven goals and earned All-ASC third-team honors during her freshman season. "College soccer is played at a much faster pace than high school and I had to learn to adapt. I would like to continue to grow as a player and leader so that I can help my team reach its full potential."

Saxon's teams have a history of reaching that full potential. At All Saints, she played on two state championship squads while earning All-State mention herself. Although Grant left her senior year to take the ETBU job, the two were able to hook up again with the Lady Tigers and start the process of rebuilding the Division III program.

"There were many aspects about ETBU that sparked my interest such as size and appearance of the campus, the distance it is from home, and the major that it provided," said Saxon. "After a lot of thought I felt like ETBU would be a great place to spend my four years of college."

As far as rejoining a program coached by her former high school coach, Saxon says the familiarity with Grant and his coaching style also played a big factor in choosing ETBU.

"My favorite part about Paul's coaching style is that during games he allows us to play and for the most part he is extremely laid back," she said of her longtime coach. "During my junior year of high school, our semifinal game of the state playoffs went to penalty kicks. My mom has a picture of Paul lying on the grass in the background. Practice is where the coaching and tough love takes place, but in games it is up to the team to perform to the best of our ability. Paul firmly believes that it is not his team but the girls' team, and he allows the program to move in the direction that we want to take it."

That direction is definitely up. As a sophomore, Saxon's class has been joined by one of the deepest and most productive freshman classes in the history of the program, a freshman class that by and large has played a huge role in getting the Lady Tigers back to the postseason.

The team has two strong veteran leaders in seniors Jenna Jones and Jacqui Saling, with Saxon also involved in a great deal of leadership activity on the roster. As a top midfielder in the league Saxon has produced on the field again in her second year at ETBU, with five goals and a team-high six assists. She's scored four game-winning goals for a team that has won three overtime games among its 10 victories this season.

"This season we have shown that we are a team that never quits," Saxon said. "From coming back from a 1-0 deficit at the very end of regulation to beating a team in the last 10 seconds of double overtime, we have shown that we do not like to settle for anything less than a win. This mentality should help us tremendously in the playoffs."

Saxon's ability has meshed well with some of the freshman talent Grant added this season, including the team's leading scorer in freshman Rebecca Davis. Davis has scored eight goals this season, tops on the team, and it's that kind of talent that has been key for ETBU's run to the postseason according to Saxon.

"The biggest different I've noticed in the team this year as opposed to last year is depth," she said. "We have a team of girls that have experience and the ability to compete at the collegiate level. This has allowed us to be more competitive in practice and has definitely been a major factor in our success this season."

Entering her junior year in 2010 Saxon is preparing herself to take on even more of a leadership role. As it stands right now there will be no seniors on the roster next season, with Saxon and her fellow sophomores preparing to be the program's upperclassmen.

That's just fine with the All Saints graduate. The bond and unity formed among the players this season will only bode well for the future, she believes.

"Since we are a young team I would like to keep on improving on our ability to work together as one," she said. "The more time we spend playing together will result in greater knowledge of each other's strengths. I feel like this year we already have such a strong bond, and most of us have only known each other a few months. This bond should continue to grow in the years to come."