East Union soccer standout Gabrielle McIntosh had never heard of the University of South Carolina Upstate until she logged onto her CaptainU account last fall.

She received a notification that the Big South Conference program had listed her as a prospect of interest.

“About a month later, they emailed me,” McIntosh said. “I realized that this is the same school that had me down as a ‘prospect’ on CaptainU. When I read into the school and their program, I was super excited. I couldn’t believe it.”

She verbally committed a year ago, and on Nov. 15 made it official by signing a National Letter of Intent to continue her career at the NCAA Division I school. Not only has she fulfilled her lifelong dream of playing at the D-I level, but McIntosh was recruited by a rising program that recently made its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance. USC Upstate lost to powerhouse North Carolina in the opening round after winning the Big South regular-season and tournament titles.

McIntosh received multiple offers, mostly from smaller, Division-II schools on the West Coast, but USC Upstate had everything she was seeking. She plans to study exercise science with a concentration in pre-physical therapy.

“I’m very excited to see what I can do and grateful for the opportunity given to me to play at the Division-I level,” McIntosh said. “It has given me the confidence and belief in myself that I can do more than what I think I can do. I know they really want to push my development as a person in soccer and outside of soccer.”

Little did she know that Spartans coaching staff was tracking her development from afar for more than a year. McIntosh first caught their eye in 2022 when she played in an Elite Clubs National League college showcase in Tennessee as a member of Pleasanton Rage.

USC Upstate coaches attended the same showcase a year later to get another look at this box-to-box midfielder from California. Head coach Sharif Saber did not go away disappointed and reached out in November of 2023 with a scholarship offer.

McIntosh verbally committed about a week later and made an unofficial visit to the campus in Spartanburg, where she met Saber and assistant Mark Laudenslager.

Saber has turned the Spartans into a Big South juggernaut in just three years, earning two Coach of the Year awards from the conference while compiling a 30-13-11 record.

“The coaches are very knowledgeable, and I really like their idea of soccer, how they want to play and their aspirations,” McIntosh said. “The campus is very nice and surrounded by a lot of trees — it looks natural. The architecture and landscape are nice.”

McIntosh is preparing for the next level by playing with and against top players. She’s currently with Lamorinda Soccer Club out of Orinda. Next week, she’ll take part in the Girls Academy Champions Cup in Norco.

“It’s a very high level of soccer and very intense,” McIntosh said. “They put a lot of expectations on the players. Even though there is a lot of pressure and accountability, it helps build us and gets us ready for the next level.”

After GA Champions Cup, she’ll be able to join her high school team for a final run with East Union. Her goal is to lead the Lancers back to the postseason after missing out the last two years. McIntosh was was named to the All-Valley Oak League first team her junior year.