The College Recruiting Process- By Sierra Enge

Any middle school or high school soccer player knows this phrase far too well. It seems to become all people can talk about once you hit a certain age. Conversation always comes back to what coaches were at the showcase, who has visited which schools, who got an email from x university. It is an exciting process that is often tainted by anxiety and fear.

I remember when I started thinking about playing soccer in college. The thought alone made my palms sweaty. I cried, stressed about my grades, and played in fear when coaches came to watch my games. While the process is always going to be nerve-racking, there are a few things that I learned while going through the process and watching others that I want to share.

The most important piece of advice that I can give you is pick a school that you would be happy at if you were NOT playing soccer. The four and a half years I spent at Stanford University were truly special and to be honest, it wasn’t the soccer that made it that way. It certainly was an added bonus, but it was the people I met, the classes I took, the professors I got to learn from, and the location I explored that made it so impactful.

You have no control over your soccer experience in college. No matter what a coach tells you, they cannot guarantee a starting position, injuries happen, new freshmen come in, and things change every year. The constant through all of this change is the university. So, before coaches even begin reaching out to you, think through what is important to you. For example – where do you want to live, what do you want to study, do you want to be on a semester or quarter system, how many people do you want in your classes, do you want to live in a city, do you want to be at a school with a football or basketball program? Take the time to think about what matters to you and ask yourself these questions. For each school you look at, take a second and think to yourself – “would I be happy here if I wasn’t playing soccer?”

Second, your recruiting timeline is your own. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the “competition” of the recruiting process. Your teammates start committing to schools or going on visits, and you feel behind. Remember – committing to a school first does not mean anything if it is not the right school for you. It is important that you take the time to make a decision that feels good for you and your family.

I had teammates who committed to the first college that reached out to them and most of those girls ended up transferring. I also had teammates who did not hear from colleges until later in high school and ended up at schools they love. Everyone is on a different timeline and no one’s timeline is better or worse. It is hard and you are going to find yourself comparing far too often, but keep reminding yourself that you are running your own race.

Third, when college coaches come to watch you play, be yourself. It is incredibly intimidating when you look on the sideline and see a coach sitting there with a notebook in hand. I still remember playing in a showcase tournament in high school. There were college coaches there to watch me and I walked over to take a corner kick. To this day, I am still not sure how I did it, but I passed the ball out of bounds from the corner flag. I was supposed to play a short corner and was so nervous that I actually passed the ball off the field. I share this to remind you that you are going to make mistakes. I certainly have never played a perfect game in my life.

When college coaches come to watch it can be paralyzing. You want to perform so well that you play in fear. The reality is college coaches are there to watch you as a complete player. They know you are going to make mistakes. They want to see how you respond to those mistakes, how you act with your teammates, and how you compete on the field. You do not need to have the best game of your life for coaches to recognize qualities that they like and want on their team. Show who you are on the field by being yourself. Do what you are good at. And when you make a mistake, shrug it off and move onto the next play.

The last piece of advice I want to give is that student-athletes at the schools you are looking at are going to be your most helpful resource. You can research schools and talk to coaches as much as you want, but the people with the most insight are the players. When I visited Stanford, I got to spend the day with a few of the girls who were on the team. It was the hours that I spent with them that gave me a true taste of what studying and playing at Stanford would be like. They were real and honest. Have the courage to ask questions when you go on visits. College players want to help. They have been in your shoes and know how much uncertainty there is.

The recruiting process still may not be fun and light but hopefully these pieces of advice can help make it less stressful and anxiety ridden. I truly believe that there is a school out there for everyone. It is all about being patient and finding the right fit.