Mercedes Sapp is a star in goal for the unbeaten UNF Ospreys

When the 2021 NCAA season kicked off, the University of North Florida turned to graduate student Mercedes Sapp as their starting goalkeeper. She’s started all six matches this season and in four of the six matches, Sapp has not allowed a goal. Last week, she was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Week.

With Sapp shining in goal, UNF is off to an unbelievable 6-0 start in 2021 “I wish I could find words to explain it. It has been a great start, but we still have much work to do,” Sapp told BGN. “This early success has came with almost over a year’s worth of practicing, lifting, social distancing, and staying in our bubbles. Playing soccer, let alone any sport during these times is hard, but it’s not impossible.”

“This team has made the season the #1 priority and sacrifices have been made to preserve this season. It is powerful to have a whole entire team focused on the same goal while keeping ourselves accountable. We will continue to follow what has been working for us because we want to be successful in the A-Sun tournament.”

Before she became a star goalkeeper for the Ospreys, Mercedes spent three seasons at the University of Missouri. “After spending 3 years at Mizzou and finishing as a communication major with a minor in Spanish, I felt accomplished,” Mercedes recalled. “I was very proud of the achievements and battles I overcame all while battling soccer schedules, social life, and academics. Yet, as I was going through my final semester as a Mizzou Tiger, I missed playing soccer.”

“I stepped away to focus on my degree and now that I look at it, it was a blessing in disguise. I found my love for soccer again and I used that as motivation to finish the year and find another place to continue playing.”

Explaining her decision to join UNF, Sapp said, “The transfer portal process was a great transitioning period for me as I spoke to different colleges about the future in my soccer career. One day, I came across a couple emails from a couple Florida schools, and UNF was one of them.”

“As I was reading the email, I immediately looked up the location of the school and it said Jacksonville, FL. My heart went soft at this very moment. I still remember to this day, how awesome it would be to say I’m playing my last year of soccer in my home state. So, I went with that gut feeling, emailed Coach Zvosec back and well, now I’m here.”

Going back to play in her home state of Florida was an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up and a #99 Sapp jersey is a familiar sight for sports fans in the Sunshine State, thanks to a certain Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman.

While Warren Sapp’s jersey is retired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he made seven Pro Bowls and helped the team win Super Bowl XXXVII, he did get a chance to pass the number down to Mercedes, the NFL legend’s only daughter.

“The #99 comes with a funny story. One day I was on my way to school and my dad was driving and he started talking about not playing football anymore, hence his retirement,” Mercedes said. “I was young and was really confused because who was then was going to be wearing #99. He then asked me, would I like to wear #99 since he won’t be able to wear it anymore? Of course I said yes because it was my dad. And I felt like it was something he would really like. And that’s how I got the number.”

Warren is obviously one of the greatest defensive players in football history. But, how many penalty kicks does Mercedes think her dad would stop in ten attempts? “I laughed at loud at this question, because I genuinely would say 1 or 2. He’s quick, but like he always says #HorsesDontMakeSheep,” she said. “He’ll get his best match as a goalkeeper. That’s for sure.” She added that he has always watched soccer and will send her a selfie if he’s watching a match on TV, sometimes including a video of a goal being scored and where he thinks the goalkeeper could have done better.”

It’s not unusual for Warren’s 1 million Twitter followers to see an update like the one below about a UNF match. After most of the team’s victories this season, his Instagram feed will include a post-match photo of a proud dad and his star goalkeeper of a daughter. “It’s everything a girl could ask for,” Mercedes explained. “It’s been a while since he has seen me play soccer. I’m pretty sure the last game was sometime during club, and that was before ECNL.”

#SoccerSaturday #SappNotFishing @cedesapp #WeGotAction pic.twitter.com/oFZaUMrt6T

— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) March 13, 2021

“I always go to my dad when I have off days, but then again we talk every day. And that goes for my mom, Jamiko Sapp too. Both of them are my best friends and they help me with advice on and off of the field.”

With her communications degree already in hand and a shining season between the sticks, what’s next for Mercedes after her time at UNF? “If I could play soccer at a semi-pro or pro league that’d be like a childhood dream come true, but there’s always the need for an alternative plan,” she answered. “My dream job is to be a sports broadcaster. Sports have always been a part of my life and communicating is one of my strengths. So I thought, why not put the two together.”

“On the other hand, another job idea popped up this year, being an Athletic Director. Coach Zvosec brought it to my attention and I’ve done research on it. I have a couple paths to go down but I’ll be sure and confident in my abilities wherever I end up.”