Rio to Spartanburg: Catarina Dantas' Journey to Lead
7/25/2025 10:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer, General
When Catarina Dantas took her first steps onto the field at USC Upstate, she didn’t know what to expect. The senior defender, who grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, after moving from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at age six, admits her path to Spartanburg was anything but ordinary.
“I honestly had no idea what I was doing during recruiting,” Dantas laughs. “I was the first in my family to play college sports, so my mom, my sister, and I—we were learning everything as we went. But I knew I wanted to play Division I, and I wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere.”
For Dantas, that sense of belonging came thanks to head coach Sharif Saber, who had first recruited her years earlier while at a different school. “Coach Saber was at Mount Olive, a smaller school. At first, I didn’t want to play Division II,” she said. “But when he called me my senior year to say he’d gotten the job at USC Upstate, I just felt like this was the right fit. My mom really liked him, too. She always told me, ‘Don’t go somewhere you’re just another number.’”
That wisdom stuck with her. Dantas committed sight unseen, placing her trust in Saber, who, she says, has never treated his players as anything less than family. “He cares about us as people. My mom wanted me somewhere like that, and she was right—as always,” Dantas said with a smile.
That trust paid off. Over her career, Dantas has blossomed into a standout in the Big South Conference. She’s been named to the All-Conference First Team twice, earned Big South Tournament MVP honors, and has been a linchpin of the Spartans’ back line since her freshman year. In 2024, she started all 18 matches, logging nearly 1,500 minutes and helping lead the team to another strong season.
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— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) November 12, 2024
Catarina Dantas of @UpstateWSoccer is the 2024 #BigSouthWSOC Tournament Most Valuable Player! ?? pic.twitter.com/wvKNIKdSan
But her journey wasn’t without bumps.
“Freshman year was hard,” she admits. “I came in and thought I was ready, but I wasn’t prepared for the level of discipline and the work it takes to succeed here. I just wasn’t all in on the experience. I was also out of shape, making poor choices, and at one point, Coach told me I wouldn’t succeed at center-back unless I made some changes. He had me training as a midfielder to stay on the field.”
Her wake-up call and opportunity came at the same time when an injury to a teammate gave her a chance to step back into her natural position late in a match. “I knew this was my shot, so I played my heart out. After that, Coach kept me in the lineup. I learned I couldn’t just rely on talent—I had to put in the work,” she said.
Saber remembers that transformation vividly.
“Catarina’s journey through this program has been defined by courage and growth,” Saber said. “From the moment she arrived, she played with a fearless energy. That passion sometimes came with edges early on, and she had to learn how to channel it in a way that served the team. Over the years, she became a steady, reliable leader her teammates respect. Her voice is still bold, but now it’s grounded in experience and purpose. Her legacy is one of strength, advocacy, and fearless leadership.”
That leadership now extends off the field as well. Dantas, an English major with minors in coaching and communications, has ambitions to either play professionally after graduation or pursue a law degree—with an eye on family law to help kids through difficult situations. She’s even pursuing Italian citizenship to keep doors open for an international playing career.
Whatever the future holds, she’s proud of her journey at Upstate.
“I’m so glad I stayed,” she said. “At times I thought about transferring to a bigger school, but I realized the grass isn’t always greener. Being here has taught me discipline, what it means to be part of a family, and how to truly grow as a person. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
From Rio to Spartanburg, from an uncertain freshman to a fearless senior leader, Dantas perfectly represents the heart and fight of USC Upstate women’s soccer.
And if you ask her who’s been behind her all along, she doesn’t hesitate.
“My mom, Bessy,” she said, smiling. “She’s been my rock through everything. She always believed in me—even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Overall, Dantas is looking forward to the future and her senior year, but she is quick to say she has “zero regrets” about how everything has played out in Spartanburg.
