freshmen year in college

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The other surprise I suppose was with positions. There was a lot to learn with flow of play and where/how coaches want ball and player movement. All way more complex that she had seen before. But, the freshmen were all in the same boat. My kid was told -- learn wing defender and right mid. cold.

This also happened to my DD last year as a freshman. A wing defender was injured and the coach grabbed my DD who had zero recent experience in the position and threw her in. Most of the freshmen did not get to play at all so my DD was very worried about screwing it up. She had been fortunate to be able to play a few minutes in every game up to that point. On top of that it was against a very highly rated soccer program. She did alright but looked a little spastic. That was her last game to play in for the season as she rode the bench the next three games. It is harsh.

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Haha, I will take responsibility for that one. Just when a thread starts having good dialogue like this one, it gets hijacked, completely misread that one, forgive me!

I was just having some fun with it. No issues.

Good thread. Nice information. I hope my dd makes it to her jr. year in college. Never know what it's going to be like and how things will turn out.

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For those who want to see how much playing time players get, TopDrawer lists games and minutes played in their stats section. I looked through it last year to see how much time some of the freshmen got. Of course, you never know if someone isn't playing due to injury. I've heard that the best thing an incoming freshman can do is to come in conditioned, in top shape. However, I hear a lot don't and they suffer for it.

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If you want to check stats on playing time most schools will list very detailed information under the webpage for their women's soccer team. Usually you can find multiple years worth. We used it during the recruiting process to get a feel for the existing rosters. Obviously you have to deal in generalities as kids can move positions and be redshirted, but you can get some feel for who will still be around when your kid gets there.

It can be a little scary too. Hey, your own kid is great and will do great. But, you can read bios of kids on the team who are not getting any playing time and they sound great too. It does make you wonder.

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For those who want to see how much playing time players get, TopDrawer lists games and minutes played in their stats section. I looked through it last year to see how much time some of the freshmen got. Of course, you never know if someone isn't playing due to injury. I've heard that the best thing an incoming freshman can do is to come in conditioned, in top shape. However, I hear a lot don't and they suffer for it.

TopDrawer is not real accurate since it relies on the teams to report, but not bad. Going to the school site usually can help.
Definitely agree re the conditioning. There are not a lot of things an incoming player will have control over since it's a team sport with a lot of coach subjectivity, but the player can control coming into camp well-conditioned. Don't wait until August 4 to get started. Always makes a good first impression and that never hurts.

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911, we've got an emergency, someone lost their sense of humor and it appears to have been kidnapped. Send out an Amber Alert.

911. Amber alert. Someone needs serious help with their sense of humor... Or lack thereof in your case.

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911. Amber alert. Someone needs serious help with their sense of humor... Or lack thereof in your case.

Funny. Exactly what I was thinking.

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It's an interesting discussion. As the parent of a talented 13 year old, I wonder what it's all worth. Cash in, cash out. Family time. How much are you saving on tuition due to soccer. Is it all really worth it?

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It's an interesting discussion. As the parent of a talented 13 year old, I wonder what it's all worth. Cash in, cash out. Family time. How much are you saving on tuition due to soccer. Is it all really worth it?

Our daughter received 100% full-tuition and since it was to a private school it was definitely worth it

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Our daughter received 100% full-tuition and since it was to a private school it was definitely worth it

But which private school? If soccer dictates which school then it's not necessarily a good decision. If this private school was her first choice educationally, and she got a full ride on top of it... Then bravo!

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But which private school? If soccer dictates which school then it's not necessarily a good decision. If this private school was her first choice educationally, and she got a full ride on top of it... Then bravo!

The school was on her short list

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Full rides are very rare though, right? Also probably rare to even get recruited by a top choice.

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Full rides are very rare though, right? Also probably rare to even get recruited by a top choice.

i am not sur it is that rare. Had offers from 2 of her top choices, it was good that she was able to pick her school and soccer scholarship was a bonus

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i am not sur it is that rare. Had offers from 2 of her top choices, it was good that she was able to pick her school and soccer scholarship was a bonus

Full ride just for soccer? Or academic and need based scholarships included?

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Great stuff. Thanks very much for posting.
DD just finished freshman year and we've been able to speak with a number of parents in the same situation. I pretty much echo your thoughts.
The thing that has always jumped out at me is that fine line between dreams and reality and making a "realistic" selection. What really struck me and others during the recruiting process was watching games at certain schools and seeing and knowing the extremely high quality of players on the bench AND of those who were wearing the "not gonna play" jerseys. Some of the latter players will stick around. Most see the writing on the wall pretty quickly. Dream big, but I think many players (certainly more than their parents) have a pretty good idea of where they fit. If they live and breath soccer and would have a problem sitting on the bench, then that player is setting himself/herself up for a miserable experience if he/she over-reaches. If soccer is simply a means to an end (such as an excellent education), then the player can't go wrong if the player picks school over soccer program. On another thread there was criticism regarding picking a school that did not have as an impressive soccer credentials -bfd. Pick the school that's the best fit for you.

Absolutely. This post is a nugget of gold. The education should be the only reason to pick a college, whether you play or not.