# College Impact



## Desert Hound (Nov 15, 2021)

So as I was driving back from the ENCL showcase I was thinking about college and where kids are going.

At the time my kid started ECNL (later went DA and is back ECNL) the youngest team entry age was U14.

She had 18 on that team.

As of now here is where they are going
Notre Dame
ASU
Navy 
Penn
Evansville (D1)
Nazerene Northwest (D3)
One to a D2 school in CA (deciding on which one)
Another to a d3 college (deciding on which one)
Cal Poly SLO (D1)
Another to likely a D2 in CO
Another has a year to go and has not decided
One doesn't want to play in college.
The other 6 that were on the team quite playing soccer. Most early on.

After the year above with the advent of DA, the team got split up.

Now as I look at who else the DD has played with since on her teams we get this...

Georgia
Washington State
Washington
Utah
Indiana
Indiana
Idaha/Wyoming (still to decide)
BYU/Auburn (still to decide)
Concordia (D2)
Dixie State
Northern Arizona
Kansas State

Now my kid is on the oldest team, but has another year to go, so the list above will grow. 

Anyway I had never stopped to look back to see who is going where from girls she is with/or played with so far.


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## lafalafa (Nov 15, 2021)

Yeah nice to see them move on playing college soccer or just focusing on acdemics and doing intramural sports on the side.

Seeing them go their seperate ways is kind of bittersweet but keeping up with them or having a catch-up chat with once teammates but now rivals can be fun.

Going with friends, current team mates, and knowing or playing with players already on the roster can go along way with team chemistry and getting a fast or good start for newer college players. 

The college regular season is so short, compact really need to be prepared right away and impress in training and pre-season to set a good tone for minutes that could be harder to come by later.  Holding up and avoiding injuries deep into the season can be tough on some, conditioning and your trainers and stuff become key.

Making a impact freshman year or starting is not easy but can be very rewarding, stepping up on the post season can go along way in future years.

Every starter on both my youngest and middle kids youth teams had college soccer offers and even the subs in some cases.  ECNL was good for our daughter but she has several friends who played elsewhere who had no shortages of offers either. Personally I feel like there is more opportunities for the females and less competition overall in general.

Enjoy the journey the destinations will come and there is plenty of travel possiblities,  getting to experience new things or catching up with old friends.


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## dk_b (Nov 15, 2021)

My older daughter is in her 2d year of college.  When she moved to her final club, ECNL started at U14 (like @Desert Hound noted) and her first experience was the EGSL showcase in San Juan Capistrano. Of the girls she played with that were her year (02s (1 fall 01 at the end before covid shut down the 2d half the ecnl season)), I think 13 or so were accepted onto D1 rosters (from full ride to preferred walk-on) and that included teams in Pac-12 (5), Big 10 (1), ACC (1), WCC (2), Mountain West (1) and Big West (3) (I am going from memory and am confident that those are the minimum numbers but I may be leaving out a player or two).  Of those, some get meaningful playing time, some have barely sniffed the field, a couple are not playing any longer and one has transferred.  Their first year was so odd - that compressed timeline was not the same since they showed up in the summer and did not end up playing until the spring (w/the ACC player being the exception and the Big West players not playing "official" games) but this year , the timeline will be felt (and is being felt by the young women whose programs did not make the tournament or who have been bounced already).

One thing that all have learned is just how much a grind it is - how balancing schoolwork is no joke, how the coaches talk to you during recruiting is not always the same once you are rostered and practicing/playing and how much pressure you can feel to earn that playing time and/or maintain the time you are getting (even in the case of clear starters). Pay attention to the stories out of your kids' schools related to mental health and the support of the "total student-athlete" and hold the schools to it. I think many often think that soccer players - generally high team GPAs, high graduation rates, etc. - have their shit together but sometimes that is just how they have always managed and, as young adults, it can mask just how burdened they feel by the entire experience.

This summary is an amalgam based on conversations and observations with players I follow and parents I know. The ones who continue to play are glad and remain committed to their sport and their team/school.


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## crush (Nov 15, 2021)

dk_b said:


> My older daughter is in her 2d year of college.  When she moved to her final club, ECNL started at U14 (like @Desert Hound noted) and her first experience was the EGSL showcase in San Juan Capistrano. Of the girls she played with that were her year (02s (1 fall 01 at the end before covid shut down the 2d half the ecnl season)), I think 13 or so were accepted onto D1 rosters (from full ride to preferred walk-on) and that included teams in Pac-12 (5), Big 10 (1), ACC (1), WCC (2), Mountain West (1) and Big West (3) (I am going from memory and am confident that those are the minimum numbers but I may be leaving out a player or two).  Of those, some get meaningful playing time, some have barely sniffed the field, a couple are not playing any longer and one has transferred.  Their first year was so odd - that compressed timeline was not the same since they showed up in the summer and did not end up playing until the spring (w/the ACC player being the exception and the Big West players not playing "official" games) but this year , the timeline will be felt (and is being felt by the young women whose programs did not make the tournament or who have been bounced already).
> 
> One thing that all have learned is just how much a grind it is - how balancing schoolwork is no joke, how the coaches talk to you during recruiting is not always the same once you are rostered and practicing/playing and how much pressure you can feel to earn that playing time and/or maintain the time you are getting (even in the case of clear starters). Pay attention to the stories out of your kids' schools related to mental health and the support of the "total student-athlete" and hold the schools to it. I think many often think that soccer players - generally high team GPAs, high graduation rates, etc. - have their shit together but sometimes that is just how they have always managed and, as young adults, it can mask just how burdened they feel by the entire experience.
> 
> This summary is an amalgam based on conversations and observations with players I follow and parents I know. The ones who continue to play are glad and remain committed to their sport and their team/school.


Spoken by a dad with experience.  Thanks for sharing bro.  You have always given us true insights from the front row.  Let's all make the next group of girls have a better experience in youth and college soccer.  Something needs fixing, moo.


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## what-happened (Nov 15, 2021)

dk_b said:


> My older daughter is in her 2d year of college.  When she moved to her final club, ECNL started at U14 (like @Desert Hound noted) and her first experience was the EGSL showcase in San Juan Capistrano. Of the girls she played with that were her year (02s (1 fall 01 at the end before covid shut down the 2d half the ecnl season)), I think 13 or so were accepted onto D1 rosters (from full ride to preferred walk-on) and that included teams in Pac-12 (5), Big 10 (1), ACC (1), WCC (2), Mountain West (1) and Big West (3) (I am going from memory and am confident that those are the minimum numbers but I may be leaving out a player or two).  Of those, some get meaningful playing time, some have barely sniffed the field, a couple are not playing any longer and one has transferred.  Their first year was so odd - that compressed timeline was not the same since they showed up in the summer and did not end up playing until the spring (w/the ACC player being the exception and the Big West players not playing "official" games) but this year , the timeline will be felt (and is being felt by the young women whose programs did not make the tournament or who have been bounced already).
> 
> One thing that all have learned is just how much a grind it is - how balancing schoolwork is no joke, how the coaches talk to you during recruiting is not always the same once you are rostered and practicing/playing and how much pressure you can feel to earn that playing time and/or maintain the time you are getting (even in the case of clear starters). Pay attention to the stories out of your kids' schools related to mental health and the support of the "total student-athlete" and hold the schools to it. I think many often think that soccer players - generally high team GPAs, high graduation rates, etc. - have their shit together but sometimes that is just how they have always managed and, as young adults, it can mask just how burdened they feel by the entire experience.
> 
> This summary is an amalgam based on conversations and observations with players I follow and parents I know. The ones who continue to play are glad and remain committed to their sport and their team/school.


Great laydown.  Can't overstate enough that being a collegieate athlete is  a grind.    The class of 2021 has had it very rough.  The 2022s will experience similar conditions. My oldest is a freshman in a P5 school.  Has somewhat sniffed the field during home games but has not traveled.  The rosters are large and it's competitive every single day (from the training room, to the pitch, to the classroom).  Transfers and foreign recruiting add a ton of stress to the environment.

Stay close to the mental health aspect, that can't be overstated enough.  Our DDs are by nature a strong willed, resilient group but covid has stressed the sytem.  The priority for coaches and schools is to take care of the program which means there will be more than the usual collateral damage. 

If you are on the final lap, enjoy the time.  Be patient, dig into the conversations schools/coaches are having with your DD and try to help them see the forest through the trees.


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## crush (Nov 15, 2021)

what-happened said:


> Great laydown.  Can't overstate enough that being a collegieate athlete is  a grind.    The class of 2021 has had it very rough.  The 2022s will experience similar conditions. My oldest is a freshman in a P5 school.  Has somewhat sniffed the field during home games but has not traveled.  The rosters are large and it's competitive every single day (from the training room, to the pitch, to the classroom).  Transfers and foreign recruiting add a ton of stress to the environment.
> 
> Stay close to the mental health aspect, that can't be overstated enough.  Our DDs are by nature a strong willed, resilient group but covid has stressed the sytem.  The priority for coaches and schools is to take care of the program which means there will be more than the usual collateral damage.
> 
> If you are on the final lap, enjoy the time.  Be patient, dig into the conversations schools/coaches are having with your DD and try to help them see the forest through the trees.


Mental health is my #1 concern.  Talk to your children folks.  Life is getting weird right now.


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## dk_b (Nov 15, 2021)

what-happened said:


> Great laydown.  Can't overstate enough that being a collegieate athlete is  a grind.    The class of 2021 has had it very rough.  The 2022s will experience similar conditions. My oldest is a freshman in a P5 school.  Has somewhat sniffed the field during home games but has not traveled.  The rosters are large and it's competitive every single day (from the training room, to the pitch, to the classroom).  Transfers and foreign recruiting add a ton of stress to the environment.
> 
> Stay close to the mental health aspect, that can't be overstated enough.  Our DDs are by nature a strong willed, resilient group but covid has stressed the sytem.  The priority for coaches and schools is to take care of the program which means there will be more than the usual collateral damage.
> 
> If you are on the final lap, enjoy the time.  Be patient, dig into the conversations schools/coaches are having with your DD and try to help them see the forest through the trees.


One other piece:  when you go to watch your kid play - and try as much as you can (even if she does not get in) - GUSH like the proud parent you are.  Take a photo with your kid after the game, after EACH game.  Make the memory and keep it forever.  Don't worry about being the obnoxious parent when she comes on to the pitch and yelling LOUD.  They are looking for you in the stands and they want to see and feel that pride.  You don't feel less if they don't get in b/c you know how hard they are working.  Don't stop showing up just b/c they don't "need" you to drive them to the venue or take them for meals after the game.

I was able to attend a lot of games this fall and was able to hug my kid after each one - at home or on the road. And it was awesome.  (I mean, to be a visitor with 2000 people yelling at UCLA and to watch your kid do her thing . . . heady stuff for me and I've been around the sun a few times. What I know is that I was able to be there FOR HER first (and for myself second)).


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