Women’s NCAA 2024 season

[Guest]

For some, many, a few....it's the start of the beginning of the end. You bought what was being sold. You worked hard in the offseason, showed up in what you thought was great shape, got a little reality over the last 2-6 weeks, and are ready to go with your impressive resume. What you are about to realize is you are now no longer the superstar on your team or in your town. Everyone on the roster was. You will constantly be thinking "I never get a chance" without realizing you are getting your chance every minute of every day and it's up to you to show you are better.

It's a complete kick in the chops for some, and it will get rough for you. Hang in there, keep working hard and run YOUR journey. Don't worry about your ex-teammate killing it at another school, or your other members in your class in another position seeing time you are not. Wake up every day determined to improve from yesterday, be your best, and if it doesn't work out be secure in the knowledge you became your best you. And, most important...you are a STUDENT-ATHLETE.

You will second-guess your decision. You will utter the "I wanna transfer" early on. Your parents will think "my kid is just as good as that one, why aren't they playing?" For the first time, some parents are the ones with their kid not playing, and they will think about all those they came across over the years now in the position you are in and, hopefully, you deal with the humility with grace. Be patient, enjoy the perks of being a D1 athlete and if you are getting some financial incentives, be thrilled with that. Some schools carry rosters of 28, 30, 32+ players. There's eleven on the pitch, and likely no more than 15-18 will play at any given game. The math is not in everyone's favor. Be the best teammate you can be and, at all times, be ready. BE READY.

If you wanted to continue to play and be the superstar that you were, you wouldn't be where you are today. You made a decision to try to push yourself to be your best vs taking an easier path. No matter what happens over the next week, month, season...career, you are setting yourself up to achieve your best self for the rest of your life.


Sean-Paul Thomas — 'Better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.'

AMEN, this is the truth! With 2 daughters playing D1 this is the absolute truth. I will only add that when the girls started preseason training the only thing that mattered is that they get the respect of the other players/teammates and be considered worthy of being on this team. No player wants to be thought of in the bottom 1/3 of the roster. The next is to be picked for the roster on game day as well as the “travel team”. That’s the mindset right now of the freshman/sophmores on highly competitive teams.

[Guest]

Most common mistake is kids who were stars in club/HS came walzing into the season a bit rusty and out of shape. Then they worked their way back. In competitive D1 the coaches quickly size up their talent in preseason. By the time in you’re in peak form they may be already looking the other way.

[Guest]

Most common mistake is kids who were stars in club/HS came walzing into the season a bit rusty and out of shape. Then they worked their way back. In competitive D1 the coaches quickly size up their talent in preseason. By the time in you’re in peak form they may be already looking the other way.

Agree, but I'd say (with no scientific data to back it up) most kids THINK they are in shape. The game was easier for them before so they followed their packet, and figured that was enough for them. To your point, it likely wasn't, they are not behind the curve, and I've seen a situation where essentially coach took one look at the player and formed a 4-year opinion of them. The player then spends the rest of their time trying to dig out of it. Some do, some don't.

[Guest]

Start a D3 thread. Need instructions?

There is no division specified in this thread...why not keep it here?

[Guest]

There is no division specified in this thread...why not keep it here?

Seems reasonable, as the MA D3 teams seem to have a better shot at going somewhere in the NCAA tournament than the MA D1 teams...

[Guest]

There is no division specified in this thread...why not keep it here?

Actually you are right, it didn't say it and the original post went right to D1 so I followed. My bad.

Comment away on any other Divisions I guess

[Guest]

Is there any clarification on full vs partial scholarships for D1 athletes? A blog on the SoccerWire website is inferring that all D1 athletes will be full ride or nothing which I believe is an incorrect reading of the settlement. My reading is that there will be roster limits of 28, no limits on scholarships but schools will be allowed to dole out scholarships as they see fit.

[Guest]

Is there any clarification on full vs partial scholarships for D1 athletes? A blog on the SoccerWire website is inferring that all D1 athletes will be full ride or nothing which I believe is an incorrect reading of the settlement. My reading is that there will be roster limits of 28, no limits on scholarships but schools will be allowed to dole out scholarships as they see fit.

Soccerwire is a recruiting service hell bent on going full chicken little.

[Guest]

There is no division specified in this thread...why not keep it here?

Yes I do, why do you ask?

I ask because I can. You answer because you choose. Have you ever received a golden shower? I really desire to have the opportunity to urinate directly into your fresh mouth.

[Guest]

It’s almost time for the season to start. Best New England team, most likely to qualify for NCAAS’s? National perspective? I got

1. Brown
2. Uconn
3. Harvard

Nationally
1. FSU
2. Stanford
3….everyone else

The top team in the Northeast top ten Penn St beats fellow top ten team Texas Tech 4-0.

[Guest]

The top team in the Northeast top ten Penn St beats fellow top ten team Texas Tech 4-0.

Penn st. is not the northeast

[Guest]

Penn st. is not the northeast

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northe..._United_States

Snobby New Englander!

[Guest]

OP here. I debated defining “northeast” since it’s always a debate. For the purposes of following and commenting on this thread let’s define this as just New England since this is where most of our local kids end up. I understand the Northeast should include Penn State, Rutgers, Cuse and others but short of starting a new thread, and I can’t rename this one…. Let’s stick with New England

Uconn v. Vermont tonight

[Guest]

OP here. I debated defining “northeast” since it’s always a debate. For the purposes of following and commenting on this thread let’s define this as just New England since this is where most of our local kids end up. I understand the Northeast should include Penn State, Rutgers, Cuse and others but short of starting a new thread, and I can’t rename this one…. Let’s stick with New England

Uconn v. Vermont tonight

So your initial post came off as a National thread commenting on the country’s best teams. So now this is just a New England thread?! Bye.

[Guest]

So your initial post came off as a National thread commenting on the country’s best teams. So now this is just a New England thread?! Bye.

BTW
5 MA girls play for Princeton
3 MA girls play for PSU
But not yours.