We have pulled together info. from a variety of sources into a quick overview of the recruiting process and will pass along suggestions on some things that parents and players can be working on to prepare for college level soccer.
The information is organized into 4 general areas – Summer camps, an overview of NCAA recruiting rules, a list of things that can be worked on at any age to prepare for college soccer, and a listing of colleges in our nearby area that field women’s soccer teams.
Many parents are bewildered by where to start to find a place for their daughter to play in
college. One of the functions of our booster club should be to help parents through this
process and we have compiled a number of resources to help. We have a number of links
on our blogsite to assist with college recruiting. In addition, I have the following three
books on college recruiting on hand:
a. The Student-Athlete & College Recruiting by Rick Wire
b. Athletic Scholarships for Dummies
c. Make the Team The Art of Self-Recruiting by Avi Stopper
These are all available to be circulated throughout the group.
The Shoregal coaching staff has expressed a sincere interest in helping the girls to play soccer in college. They have numerous contacts with college coaches, they arrange to have coaches lead summer training sessions, and they circulate info. about the girls to local colleges through the Shoregal Yearbook.
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Let’s first start off with our annual College soccer summer camps listings and general info. about camps.
The College soccer camp is a tremendous opportunity for your daughter to display her soccer skills in front of prospective coaches. These camps are a win-win situation for the athlete and the school. Because of severely limited recruiting budgets for women’s soccer, it is nearly impossible for coaches to see a large pool of candidates. This is a major reason why they run summer camps – to bring the recruits to them. Remember also, that they are limited in when they can contact a player and the number of contacts they can have with a player. Generally, college coaches cannot have contact with prospective players until the summer before their Senior year and then the contacts are of a limited number based on NCAA rules.
However, the player can have unlimited contact with coaches at any time starting in their Freshman year as long as they initiate the contact through such methods as filling out the specific sport questionnaire for each college, sending the coach results from their season, informing them of upcoming tournaments they will be playing in, making college visits, and by attending summer camps. The advantage to the players is that they get to display their skills to coaches over an 8-12 hour period over the course of 3-5 days plus personal contact. This is much more beneficial than having a coach come to one or two 80 min. games against possibly suspect competition where you are being substituted for frequently. In addition, the girls are hopefully improving their skill set at these camps by playing against higher level competition and learning college level techniques. If you are expecting college coaches to wander into Memorial stadium to see your daughter, this is not realistic. You have to put yourself in front of the college coaches and be very persistent at it. You have to make college coaches want to recruit you, not wait on them to recruit you.
Like everything else in the recruitment process, you need to focus in on the schools where you believe you have a realistic opportunity to play and then attend their summer camp. Now, which colleges run these summer camps? The following is a list of the schools in Ohio or nearby which are hosting camps this summer for high school aged players:
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The Ohio State Univ. Div. 1
Univ. of Cincinnati Div. 1
Univ. of Dayton Div. 1
Youngstown State Div. 1
Univ. of Akron Div. 1
Bowling Green State Unv. Div. 1
Kent State Univ. Div. 1
Wright State Univ. Div. 1
Tiffin Univ. Div. 2
Cedarville Univ. Div. 2
Ashland Univ. Div. 2
Ohio Dominican Univ. Div. 2
Edinboro Univ. Div. 2
Ursuline College (GK only) Div. 2
The College of Wooster Div. 3
Case Western Reserve Univ. Div. 3
Ohio Northern Univ. Div. 3
Oberlin College Div. 3
Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville Div. 3
Defiance College Div. 3
Heidelberg Univ. Div. 3
Otterbein Univ. Div. 3
In addition, all Big Ten schools have soccer camps along with major schools such as Notre Dame, Marquette, and Pitt. In fact, every major conference D-1 school has a camp and you can access information on any camp through the college’s website.
You need to start making your summer plans now as these camps fill up quickly. Also if you select a camp, be sure to fill out the school’s soccer questionnaire and express your interest in playing at “ABC” college so they are aware of you when you come to camp.
A new development that has sprung up recently at many colleges is something known as the “College ID camp”. These are one day clinics held at the particular college in which the girls receive a day of college level soccer training and the coaches have the opportunity to initiate the recruiting process. Girls that they “ID” would certainly be invited to attend their summer soccer camp and the coaches will keep certain girls on their “watch” list. These ID clinics are held in the Winter/Spring/Summer and some colleges have already held theirs. So, if you are interested in a particular college, check their website and be sure to get an early start on this. These “ID” camps are rapidly gaining in importance and are starting to replace the traditional summer camps more and more, so give them some serious consideration.
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Secondly, I would like to present an overview of NCAA recruiting rules. There are many recruiting rules and they differ by Division I, II, & III. I will present a general framework of the way that the rules work. This past year the NCAA has loosened up the rules for Div. II schools in comparison with Div. I. I will denote the major differences in the info. below. For more detailed information, please visit www.ncaa.org and then hit on the words “Student Athletes”, then hit on the words “Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete”. Also, under “Student Athletes” hit on the words “NCAA Eligibility Center” to find information on various subjects.
There are 6 primary ways that a coaching staff may contact a prospective athlete:
1) Recruiting materials – exactly what they sound like - any type of letters, brocheres, questionnaires, media guides, camp info., etc. For soccer players, these can be sent to you at any time during your high school career.
2) Telephone calls – we will discuss these rules in further detail below.
3) Off Campus contacts – any contact by a member of the coaching staff off the college’s campus to either the athlete or the athlete’s parents. Div. I -you are permitted 3 off campus contacts per college after July 1 before your senior year. In Div. II, no limit on the number of contacts starting on June 15 before your Junior year.
4) Official visits – you may make official visits to prospective colleges starting at the beginning of your Senior year. An official visit is a visit where the college pays the expenses for you and/or your parents to visit including transportation, meals, and lodging. In Div. I, a prospective athlete may make 5 official visits limited to one per college. In Div. II, no limits on official visits.
5) Unofficial visits – These are visits to college campuses where the athlete and their parents pay their own expenses. You may make as many of these as you like at any time that you like.
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6) Evaluations – These are times when a college coach comes to visit your high school, or comes to a practice, or comes to one of your games. Coaches are permitted a combination of 7 contacts (see #3 above) or evaluations of which no more than 3 can be a person to person contact during the senior year of the prospective athlete. So, for example, a coach may use his 7 times with a player as 3 contacts & 4 evaluations, or 2 contacts & 5 evaluations, etc.
As stated above, in Div. II, there is no limit on the number of contacts starting on June 15 before your Junior year.
The times that coaches may contact prospective athletes are governed by 4 general periods during the academic year. These periods vary by NCAA division and by sport. The college coaches know these periods well and they will let your daughter know when and when they cannot have contact with them. The periods are known as:
1) Contact period – all of the 6 types of contact are permitted.
2) Dead period – no in person contact either on or off campus. May write or telephone the prospective athlete.
3) Evaluation period – coaching staff may watch the athlete play or visit the high school. No in person conversations are allowed.
4) Quiet period – no in person contact off the college campus during this time. Also, the coach may not visit the high school or attend games or practices. The athlete may visit college campuses and the coach may write or telephone the athlete.
Some general things to keep in mind:
1) The recruiting process really starts in earnest after July 1st before the prospective athlete’s senior year. That is when soccer coaches may begin to specifically contact and recruit players that they may be interested in. In Div. II, the process can start on June 15 before your Junior year.
2) Phone calls – After July 1st before your senior year, college coaches can call one time per week. Keep in mind that the prospective athlete may call the coach an unlimited number of times whenever they want at their expense, but the coach can only call back once per week. In Div. II, once again, June 15 before your Junior year, coaches may begin to call with no limits on the number of calls.
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3) Contacts – as stated above in Div.I, the coach may only contact, in person, the prospective athlete 3 times after July 1st before the senior year. Once again, keep in mind that you can initiate an unlimited number of contacts with the coach through unofficial visits and by attending summer camps. The coach may come to evaluate/contact the prospective athlete a combined 7 times during the senior year, but if they have an in person conversation with either parent or prospect, that will count against their 3 contacts. I have noticed in past seasons that a number of college coaches attended our games to scout specific girls, but they won’t visit with you after the game for the reasons stated above.
So don’t be concerned that a coach came to the game and didn’t talk with you – they are limited in their contacts. However, they can either e-mail or call you to talk about the game and your performance afterwards. In Div. II, it is wide open as coaches can have unlimited contact with prospects beginning June 15 before your Junior year.
4) Most everything that I have talked about above applies to Division I & II schools. D-III schools can pretty much have contact with a prospect in any manner as many times as they would like starting after the junior year.
5) NAIA – schools that belong to this governing organization have their own set of rules and they are pretty wide open. They can contact a prospect at almost anytime in any fashion. A prospect can even work out with the college team while still in high school. However, these schools have significantly dwindled in number in Ohio as they have mostly upgraded themselves to NCAA Div. II status.
Thirdly, I would like to give some suggestions on things that you can do which will enhance your chances of obtaining a scholarship. This list can start to be worked on as early as Freshman year to build a solid background to earn a scholarship:
1) Play Club soccer with the highest level club that is appropriate to your skill range.
2) Try out for an ODP (Olympic Development Program) team. This is one of the ways that National level players are identified and selected. For more info. on the ODP program in our area, go to www.oysan.org and click on ODP.
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3) Tryout for a CASA team (Cleveland Alliance Soccer Association). You will get info. about this program through your club team. This is basically another avenue to play a higher level of soccer. Visit www.clevelandalliancesoccer.com for more info.
4) Put together a soccer resume – I can provide examples and this is basically a detailed listing of your soccer career along with other pertinent info. such as other sports played and academic achievements.
5) Attend College Showcases- this is one of the reasons that we go to the Strongsville Showcase each year – not only to prep for our season, but to give the girls the opportunity to play in front of college coaches.
6) Fill out athletic questionnaires – practically every college has these on their athletics website for the women’s soccer team. They can be filled out online and they alert the coach to your interest in playing at “XYZ” University.
7) Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your Sophomore year. Please visit www.ncaa.org and then hit on the words “Student Athletes” and then hit on the words “NCAA Eligibility Center” to register and find information on various subjects.
8) Focus on schoolwork and maintain a high academic record – college coaches are looking for bright students who will stay eligible with the heavy time commitment required of college players.
9) Attend College soccer camps – as we talked about above, focus on a few schools and attend their camps.
10) Keep in constant contact with the coaches at your targeted colleges.
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Why is it necessary to do the things listed above? Consider the odds you are facing – the typical college is going to offer scholarships to about 5 – 7 players per year. This keeps their team at the range of 20 –28 players. The coach is receiving hundreds of inquiries, letters, & resumes. Div. I & II schools receive a greater number and Div. III schools a lesser number. When faced with this many interested girls, how are you going to pare that number down? You would organize by certain filters to create a hierarchy of candidates and this is exactly what the coaches do. Their filters will typically consist of the following: ODP players, All-State players, players that they have seen at camps or tournaments, players from high level clubs that they are familiar with, players from upper tier high school programs, and then all the rest. The coaches will only concentrate on about 20 of the best candidates to intensely recruit, so you need to do everything possible to get yourself into the top groups that the coaches are going to look most closely at. The more ways that you get yourself noticed, the better the chance that you can receive a scholarship.
Lastly, where should my daughter even try to play soccer. To assist with that question, we are going to present a listing of colleges in our general area who field women’s soccer teams. Avon Lake is situated nicely as we are in the heart of a large number of colleges which have soccer programs. We will present a summary below by division of these colleges.
The Mid-American Conference is made up of the following 12 schools:
Ball State Univ.
Univ. of Toledo
Northern Illinois Univ.
Bowling Green State Univ.
Eastern Michigan Univ.
Central Michigan Univ.
Western Michigan Univ.
Univ. of Buffalo
Ohio Univ.
Kent State Univ.
Miami Univ.
Univ. of Akron
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These schools are very familiar names to most of us as either we attended them or our children have attended them. They have a decent nationwide athletic profile in most sports. Miami Univ. and the Univ. of Toledo have had dominant women’s soccer programs over the past few years. The MAC features many positive aspects such as geographic closeness and reasonable tuition - Toledo, BG, Kent, Akron, Miami, & Ohio all have in state rates for Ohio residents. Once again they are D-1, so athletic scholarships will be available. Academic scholarships are plentiful and our girls have a very high academic profile, so they will be eligible for money wherever they go. Soccer wise – their rosters are loaded with SWC and Greater Cleveland area players. As always, with hard work and dedication, you can earn an opportunity to play at these schools.
For our more highly skilled type players, we would recommend that you look into these schools. It is Division 1 soccer – the highest level available. The schools are close by; the competition level is realistic for the Avon Lake player; and there is the beginning of a history of success for our girls at these schools. All the soccer programs can be accessed through the school website. Also, if interested in these schools, don’t forget about attending their summer camp if they have one.
We have had two of our Shoregal alumni play in the MAC. Jeannie Stuckey played at the Univ. of Akron in the early 2000's and still holds most of the main offensive records at Akron including career goals scored. Sarah Richardson was a defender at Akron who graduated in 2011.
The Horizon League is a smaller D-1 conference whose schools are geographically close to Avon Lake, offer reasonably priced educations, and are a realistic place to play for the Avon Lake player. The Horizon League is made up of the following 9 schools which field soccer teams:
Cleveland State University
Univ. of Detroit-Mercy
Univ. of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Valparaiso
Wright State Univ.
Youngstown State Univ.
Oakland Univ.
Univ. of Illinois-Chicago
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Horizon League rosters are dotted with players from the Southwestern Conference. Positive aspects are that the schools are relatively close; the education is moderately priced; Cleveland State, Youngstown State, and Wright State will be very inexpensive for Ohio residents as they will be charged the in-state rate; they are all D-1, so there is an opportunity for athletic scholarships. There are also numerous academic scholarships
available. Soccer wise – the competition is at a level that our girls with the right amount of dedication and hard work can earn a regular amount of playing time.
We have had three Shoregal alumni play in the Horizon League in recent years - Trisha Wladecki at Valparaiso, Taylor Miller at Cleveland State, and Caitlin Bodzioney at Youngstown State.
Next up, we will present some information on Division II schools starting off with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The GLIAC consists of 16 schools of which 13 have women’s soccer teams. The schools are located throughout Ohio and Michigan. The conference schools are as follows:
Ashland Univ.
Ferris State (Mich.)
Univ. of Findlay
Grand Valley State (Mich.)
Lake Erie College
Malone Univ.
Michigan Tech (Mich.)
Northern Michigan (Mich.)
Northwood Univ. (Mich.)
Ohio Dominican Univ.
Saginaw Valley State (Mich.)
Tiffin Univ.
Walsh Univ.
These colleges have student populations that range from a few thousand up to 10,000 students. All the schools are NCAA Div. 2 programs. That means athletic scholarships are available. Also, they are large enough to be able to offer a wider variety of majors. Grand Valley State is a national power in women's soccer and was the Div. II National Champion in 2013 and 2014. Many of the Michigan schools are in prime skiing areas which offers another enticement for those who like to ski. The Ohio schools are loaded with players from the Cleveland area. These are programs where Avon Lake girls can be very competitive. So keep these schools in mind when making college visits and as possibilities to play soccer.
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Next conference to mention will be the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
This is a NCAA Division II conference which means scholarships are available. As the name would suggest, all of these schools are located in the state of Pennsylvania. About half of the conference is located in the eastern part of the state, but of most interest to us are the schools in the western side of the state which are within a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive from Avon Lake. The conference schools are as follows:
West Chester Univ.
Slippery Rock Univ.
E. Stroudsburg Univ.
Edinboro Univ.
Bloomsburg Univ.
Indiana Univ. of PA.
Kutztown Univ.
Lock Haven Univ.
Shippensburg Univ.
Clarion Univ.
Mansfield Univ.
California Univ.
Millersville Univ.
Gannon Univ.
Mercyhurst Univ.
Seton Hill
Univ. of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
The profile for these schools are that they are small to mid-sized schools ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 students. The western PA schools - Edinboro, Clarion, Slippery Rock, IUP, California, Gannon, Mercyhurst, Seton Hill, and Pitt-Johnstown are all relatively close to Ohio and Avon Lake. Very good athletic and academic conference. Yet another place where AL girls can find success. Once again, many girls from the Greater Cleveland area are playing at these schools. For example, Edinboro has 6 girls from our immediate area on their team – 1 each from Avon, Amherst, Bay, North Olmsted, Westlake, & Olmsted Falls – all girls that we played against and teams that we were competitive with. People in Ohio have a tendency to overlook the wealth of schools which exist in Pennsylvania. Well worth your time to check into.
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There are some other Ohio Div. II schools that play in other conferences as follows:
Notre Dame College & Urbana Univ. play in the Mountain East Conference which is primarily made up of schools from West Virginia.
Ursuline College and Cedarville Univ. play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference whose other members hail from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The profile for the above two conferences are that they are generally small schools with a strong Christian influence. The schools range in size from 600 – 3,000 students. Avon Lake High School has roughly 1,200 students in comparison with an average class size of 300. So these colleges are anywhere from half the size of ALHS to approx. a little more than twice the size of the high school. Many of the schools have a strong Christian influence even to the point where bible study classes are a required part of the curriculum and regular attendance at chapel services is also required. As a parent, you can expect many of these colleges to have “dry” campuses. This may be exactly the kind of environment that you are looking for in your daughter’s college experience. On the soccer side, competition for scholarships is going to be limited because of the small size of the schools which increases the likelihood of your daughter receiving money. These are definitely programs where Avon Lake girls can succeed. You would need to visit to see if they may be right for your daughter.
Next up we will present some information on NCAA Div. III schools and how they operate.
NCAA Div. III schools are typically small (less than 3,000 students), liberal arts, academically oriented schools. They are the largest of the three NCAA divisions and account for 40% of all colleges. They are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships and you do not need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. However, these colleges are usually generous with both academic scholarships and need based financial aid which they combine to bring their costs in line with that of a typical state school. On the soccer side, these schools are aligned in conferences, play for a national championship, and feature a level of play which is attainable for the typical Avon Lake player. Two recent graduates who are attending D-III schools and are having success playing soccer are Dana & Jillian Strimbu who play for Otterbein University. There are 448 D-III schools across the U. S. and Avon Lake is located within reasonable reach of 97 of those schools in a 4 state area as follows:
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Ohio - 22
Pennsylvania - 57
Michigan - 8
Indiana - 10
The Ohio schools are listed as follows:
Baldwin-Wallace
Kenyon College
Bluffton Univ.
Capital Univ.
Marietta College
Case Western Reserve Univ.
Univ. of Mount Union
College of Mt. St. Joseph
Muskingum Univ.
The College of Wooster
Oberlin College
Defiance College
Ohio Northern Univ.
Denison Univ.
Ohio Wesleyan Univ.
Heidelberg Univ.
Otterbein Univ.
Hiram College
Wilmington College
John Carroll Univ.
Wittenberg Univ.
Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville
Almost half of the Ohio schools play in the Ohio Athletic Conference which is one of the premier D-III conferences in the country. Take some time to research and visit these schools, you may be surprised at what they have to offer.
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Next, we need to mention some info. on NAIA schools. They are only 5 schools left in Ohio from this governing organization that still field women’s soccer teams as follows:
Cincinnati Christian Univ.
Mount Vernon Nazarene Univ.
Shawnee State Univ.
Univ. of Northwestern Ohio
Univ. of Rio Grande
These are typically small schools with between 1,000 to 4,500 students. There was at one time many more NAIA schools in Ohio; however, many of them have converted to NCAA Div. II schools. Some nice advantages of NAIA schools is that they do offer scholarships, the recruiting rules are very simple, coaches can have almost unlimited contact with prospects, and the small size of the schools means a better opportunity to earn a scholarship. Once again, definitely a level that Avon Lake girls can compete successfully at.
Lastly, we would like to present some information on College Club soccer and what that is all about.
College soccer clubs are another option for your daughter to continue her soccer playing experience after high school. These clubs are made up of skilled high school players who cannot make the time commitment to a Varsity program usually due to their academic load, but still want to play at a competitive level as opposed to an intramural level. These clubs are run by the student players who take care of the administrative and fundraising functions of the club and who hire a legitimate soccer coach. The clubs usually run a year round training program which players attend as their schedules permit.
The clubs are organized into geographic leagues or conferences and play a regular schedule of games which lead to a National championship. The teams and leagues are organized under a national organizational body which is called the National Intramural – Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). In the Midwest area, schools are organized under the Women's Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference which includes schools from a 5 state area. Ohio schools that field club soccer teams include Toledo, Bowling Green, Dayton, Kent State, Miami, Ohio U., Ohio State, Cincinnati, Wright State, and Xavier. Most large colleges in every state have club soccer teams, so look for them as you make your college visits. You can find out more information about the W-MASC by visiting their website at: http://www.w-masc.com. Also, there is a lot more to NIRSA than I have space to write about here and to learn more go to: www.nirsa.org
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Club soccer presents a great opportunity for your daughter to not only continue her playing career, but also as a learning experience as she will be a part of the team that actually runs the club. That kind of experience can serve you well in your future career and would be looked upon favorably by future employers.
Currently at Butler University, junior Rachel Gates plays for their club soccer team and at Wright State Univ. freshman Cara Dannemiller also plays club soccer. In the recent past, Tani Lopez played for Ohio State which is a powerhouse in women's club soccer. They consistently have one of the top teams in the nation which is what you would expect from such a large school and is a school that many ALHS graduates choose as a place to continue their education. Collegiate club soccer is definitely an option to give serious consideration as it continues to grow in popularity as an alternative to the rigors of Varsity level competition. Be sure to check this out on your college visitations.
Two final thoughts –
Keep your pursuit of an athletic scholarship in perspective. The most important reason to attend high school and college is to receive an education. Your focus should always be on academics first. There are many, many more times the amount of academic scholarships available as compared to athletic. If you keep balance, then you may find that academic scholarship money will lead your daughter to a college where she can play soccer also. Use your daughter’s strong academics to provide the money to enable her to continue her soccer career at the appropriate college.
Lastly, – be realistic about the level of your daughter’s talent and plan accordingly. You can play college soccer if you match yourself to the appropriate level of program. Focus your attention on the right type of schools early and your daughter may have a very realistic opportunity of realizing her dream to play college soccer. Our recent history indicates that only 1 or 2 of our girls per year will play Div. I or Div. II soccer. We are working hard to increase those numbers. But certainly, most of our Varsity players can play at the Div. III level, but they don’t seek out these opportunities in hopes of something bigger. Evaluate your place in the soccer world and pursue what is the right fit for your daughter. Best of Luck in your college search!
The information is organized into 4 general areas – Summer camps, an overview of NCAA recruiting rules, a list of things that can be worked on at any age to prepare for college soccer, and a listing of colleges in our nearby area that field women’s soccer teams.
Many parents are bewildered by where to start to find a place for their daughter to play in
college. One of the functions of our booster club should be to help parents through this
process and we have compiled a number of resources to help. We have a number of links
on our blogsite to assist with college recruiting. In addition, I have the following three
books on college recruiting on hand:
a. The Student-Athlete & College Recruiting by Rick Wire
b. Athletic Scholarships for Dummies
c. Make the Team The Art of Self-Recruiting by Avi Stopper
These are all available to be circulated throughout the group.
The Shoregal coaching staff has expressed a sincere interest in helping the girls to play soccer in college. They have numerous contacts with college coaches, they arrange to have coaches lead summer training sessions, and they circulate info. about the girls to local colleges through the Shoregal Yearbook.
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Let’s first start off with our annual College soccer summer camps listings and general info. about camps.
The College soccer camp is a tremendous opportunity for your daughter to display her soccer skills in front of prospective coaches. These camps are a win-win situation for the athlete and the school. Because of severely limited recruiting budgets for women’s soccer, it is nearly impossible for coaches to see a large pool of candidates. This is a major reason why they run summer camps – to bring the recruits to them. Remember also, that they are limited in when they can contact a player and the number of contacts they can have with a player. Generally, college coaches cannot have contact with prospective players until the summer before their Senior year and then the contacts are of a limited number based on NCAA rules.
However, the player can have unlimited contact with coaches at any time starting in their Freshman year as long as they initiate the contact through such methods as filling out the specific sport questionnaire for each college, sending the coach results from their season, informing them of upcoming tournaments they will be playing in, making college visits, and by attending summer camps. The advantage to the players is that they get to display their skills to coaches over an 8-12 hour period over the course of 3-5 days plus personal contact. This is much more beneficial than having a coach come to one or two 80 min. games against possibly suspect competition where you are being substituted for frequently. In addition, the girls are hopefully improving their skill set at these camps by playing against higher level competition and learning college level techniques. If you are expecting college coaches to wander into Memorial stadium to see your daughter, this is not realistic. You have to put yourself in front of the college coaches and be very persistent at it. You have to make college coaches want to recruit you, not wait on them to recruit you.
Like everything else in the recruitment process, you need to focus in on the schools where you believe you have a realistic opportunity to play and then attend their summer camp. Now, which colleges run these summer camps? The following is a list of the schools in Ohio or nearby which are hosting camps this summer for high school aged players:
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The Ohio State Univ. Div. 1
Univ. of Cincinnati Div. 1
Univ. of Dayton Div. 1
Youngstown State Div. 1
Univ. of Akron Div. 1
Bowling Green State Unv. Div. 1
Kent State Univ. Div. 1
Wright State Univ. Div. 1
Tiffin Univ. Div. 2
Cedarville Univ. Div. 2
Ashland Univ. Div. 2
Ohio Dominican Univ. Div. 2
Edinboro Univ. Div. 2
Ursuline College (GK only) Div. 2
The College of Wooster Div. 3
Case Western Reserve Univ. Div. 3
Ohio Northern Univ. Div. 3
Oberlin College Div. 3
Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville Div. 3
Defiance College Div. 3
Heidelberg Univ. Div. 3
Otterbein Univ. Div. 3
In addition, all Big Ten schools have soccer camps along with major schools such as Notre Dame, Marquette, and Pitt. In fact, every major conference D-1 school has a camp and you can access information on any camp through the college’s website.
You need to start making your summer plans now as these camps fill up quickly. Also if you select a camp, be sure to fill out the school’s soccer questionnaire and express your interest in playing at “ABC” college so they are aware of you when you come to camp.
A new development that has sprung up recently at many colleges is something known as the “College ID camp”. These are one day clinics held at the particular college in which the girls receive a day of college level soccer training and the coaches have the opportunity to initiate the recruiting process. Girls that they “ID” would certainly be invited to attend their summer soccer camp and the coaches will keep certain girls on their “watch” list. These ID clinics are held in the Winter/Spring/Summer and some colleges have already held theirs. So, if you are interested in a particular college, check their website and be sure to get an early start on this. These “ID” camps are rapidly gaining in importance and are starting to replace the traditional summer camps more and more, so give them some serious consideration.
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Secondly, I would like to present an overview of NCAA recruiting rules. There are many recruiting rules and they differ by Division I, II, & III. I will present a general framework of the way that the rules work. This past year the NCAA has loosened up the rules for Div. II schools in comparison with Div. I. I will denote the major differences in the info. below. For more detailed information, please visit www.ncaa.org and then hit on the words “Student Athletes”, then hit on the words “Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete”. Also, under “Student Athletes” hit on the words “NCAA Eligibility Center” to find information on various subjects.
There are 6 primary ways that a coaching staff may contact a prospective athlete:
1) Recruiting materials – exactly what they sound like - any type of letters, brocheres, questionnaires, media guides, camp info., etc. For soccer players, these can be sent to you at any time during your high school career.
2) Telephone calls – we will discuss these rules in further detail below.
3) Off Campus contacts – any contact by a member of the coaching staff off the college’s campus to either the athlete or the athlete’s parents. Div. I -you are permitted 3 off campus contacts per college after July 1 before your senior year. In Div. II, no limit on the number of contacts starting on June 15 before your Junior year.
4) Official visits – you may make official visits to prospective colleges starting at the beginning of your Senior year. An official visit is a visit where the college pays the expenses for you and/or your parents to visit including transportation, meals, and lodging. In Div. I, a prospective athlete may make 5 official visits limited to one per college. In Div. II, no limits on official visits.
5) Unofficial visits – These are visits to college campuses where the athlete and their parents pay their own expenses. You may make as many of these as you like at any time that you like.
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6) Evaluations – These are times when a college coach comes to visit your high school, or comes to a practice, or comes to one of your games. Coaches are permitted a combination of 7 contacts (see #3 above) or evaluations of which no more than 3 can be a person to person contact during the senior year of the prospective athlete. So, for example, a coach may use his 7 times with a player as 3 contacts & 4 evaluations, or 2 contacts & 5 evaluations, etc.
As stated above, in Div. II, there is no limit on the number of contacts starting on June 15 before your Junior year.
The times that coaches may contact prospective athletes are governed by 4 general periods during the academic year. These periods vary by NCAA division and by sport. The college coaches know these periods well and they will let your daughter know when and when they cannot have contact with them. The periods are known as:
1) Contact period – all of the 6 types of contact are permitted.
2) Dead period – no in person contact either on or off campus. May write or telephone the prospective athlete.
3) Evaluation period – coaching staff may watch the athlete play or visit the high school. No in person conversations are allowed.
4) Quiet period – no in person contact off the college campus during this time. Also, the coach may not visit the high school or attend games or practices. The athlete may visit college campuses and the coach may write or telephone the athlete.
Some general things to keep in mind:
1) The recruiting process really starts in earnest after July 1st before the prospective athlete’s senior year. That is when soccer coaches may begin to specifically contact and recruit players that they may be interested in. In Div. II, the process can start on June 15 before your Junior year.
2) Phone calls – After July 1st before your senior year, college coaches can call one time per week. Keep in mind that the prospective athlete may call the coach an unlimited number of times whenever they want at their expense, but the coach can only call back once per week. In Div. II, once again, June 15 before your Junior year, coaches may begin to call with no limits on the number of calls.
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3) Contacts – as stated above in Div.I, the coach may only contact, in person, the prospective athlete 3 times after July 1st before the senior year. Once again, keep in mind that you can initiate an unlimited number of contacts with the coach through unofficial visits and by attending summer camps. The coach may come to evaluate/contact the prospective athlete a combined 7 times during the senior year, but if they have an in person conversation with either parent or prospect, that will count against their 3 contacts. I have noticed in past seasons that a number of college coaches attended our games to scout specific girls, but they won’t visit with you after the game for the reasons stated above.
So don’t be concerned that a coach came to the game and didn’t talk with you – they are limited in their contacts. However, they can either e-mail or call you to talk about the game and your performance afterwards. In Div. II, it is wide open as coaches can have unlimited contact with prospects beginning June 15 before your Junior year.
4) Most everything that I have talked about above applies to Division I & II schools. D-III schools can pretty much have contact with a prospect in any manner as many times as they would like starting after the junior year.
5) NAIA – schools that belong to this governing organization have their own set of rules and they are pretty wide open. They can contact a prospect at almost anytime in any fashion. A prospect can even work out with the college team while still in high school. However, these schools have significantly dwindled in number in Ohio as they have mostly upgraded themselves to NCAA Div. II status.
Thirdly, I would like to give some suggestions on things that you can do which will enhance your chances of obtaining a scholarship. This list can start to be worked on as early as Freshman year to build a solid background to earn a scholarship:
1) Play Club soccer with the highest level club that is appropriate to your skill range.
2) Try out for an ODP (Olympic Development Program) team. This is one of the ways that National level players are identified and selected. For more info. on the ODP program in our area, go to www.oysan.org and click on ODP.
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3) Tryout for a CASA team (Cleveland Alliance Soccer Association). You will get info. about this program through your club team. This is basically another avenue to play a higher level of soccer. Visit www.clevelandalliancesoccer.com for more info.
4) Put together a soccer resume – I can provide examples and this is basically a detailed listing of your soccer career along with other pertinent info. such as other sports played and academic achievements.
5) Attend College Showcases- this is one of the reasons that we go to the Strongsville Showcase each year – not only to prep for our season, but to give the girls the opportunity to play in front of college coaches.
6) Fill out athletic questionnaires – practically every college has these on their athletics website for the women’s soccer team. They can be filled out online and they alert the coach to your interest in playing at “XYZ” University.
7) Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your Sophomore year. Please visit www.ncaa.org and then hit on the words “Student Athletes” and then hit on the words “NCAA Eligibility Center” to register and find information on various subjects.
8) Focus on schoolwork and maintain a high academic record – college coaches are looking for bright students who will stay eligible with the heavy time commitment required of college players.
9) Attend College soccer camps – as we talked about above, focus on a few schools and attend their camps.
10) Keep in constant contact with the coaches at your targeted colleges.
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Why is it necessary to do the things listed above? Consider the odds you are facing – the typical college is going to offer scholarships to about 5 – 7 players per year. This keeps their team at the range of 20 –28 players. The coach is receiving hundreds of inquiries, letters, & resumes. Div. I & II schools receive a greater number and Div. III schools a lesser number. When faced with this many interested girls, how are you going to pare that number down? You would organize by certain filters to create a hierarchy of candidates and this is exactly what the coaches do. Their filters will typically consist of the following: ODP players, All-State players, players that they have seen at camps or tournaments, players from high level clubs that they are familiar with, players from upper tier high school programs, and then all the rest. The coaches will only concentrate on about 20 of the best candidates to intensely recruit, so you need to do everything possible to get yourself into the top groups that the coaches are going to look most closely at. The more ways that you get yourself noticed, the better the chance that you can receive a scholarship.
Lastly, where should my daughter even try to play soccer. To assist with that question, we are going to present a listing of colleges in our general area who field women’s soccer teams. Avon Lake is situated nicely as we are in the heart of a large number of colleges which have soccer programs. We will present a summary below by division of these colleges.
The Mid-American Conference is made up of the following 12 schools:
Ball State Univ.
Univ. of Toledo
Northern Illinois Univ.
Bowling Green State Univ.
Eastern Michigan Univ.
Central Michigan Univ.
Western Michigan Univ.
Univ. of Buffalo
Ohio Univ.
Kent State Univ.
Miami Univ.
Univ. of Akron
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These schools are very familiar names to most of us as either we attended them or our children have attended them. They have a decent nationwide athletic profile in most sports. Miami Univ. and the Univ. of Toledo have had dominant women’s soccer programs over the past few years. The MAC features many positive aspects such as geographic closeness and reasonable tuition - Toledo, BG, Kent, Akron, Miami, & Ohio all have in state rates for Ohio residents. Once again they are D-1, so athletic scholarships will be available. Academic scholarships are plentiful and our girls have a very high academic profile, so they will be eligible for money wherever they go. Soccer wise – their rosters are loaded with SWC and Greater Cleveland area players. As always, with hard work and dedication, you can earn an opportunity to play at these schools.
For our more highly skilled type players, we would recommend that you look into these schools. It is Division 1 soccer – the highest level available. The schools are close by; the competition level is realistic for the Avon Lake player; and there is the beginning of a history of success for our girls at these schools. All the soccer programs can be accessed through the school website. Also, if interested in these schools, don’t forget about attending their summer camp if they have one.
We have had two of our Shoregal alumni play in the MAC. Jeannie Stuckey played at the Univ. of Akron in the early 2000's and still holds most of the main offensive records at Akron including career goals scored. Sarah Richardson was a defender at Akron who graduated in 2011.
The Horizon League is a smaller D-1 conference whose schools are geographically close to Avon Lake, offer reasonably priced educations, and are a realistic place to play for the Avon Lake player. The Horizon League is made up of the following 9 schools which field soccer teams:
Cleveland State University
Univ. of Detroit-Mercy
Univ. of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Valparaiso
Wright State Univ.
Youngstown State Univ.
Oakland Univ.
Univ. of Illinois-Chicago
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Horizon League rosters are dotted with players from the Southwestern Conference. Positive aspects are that the schools are relatively close; the education is moderately priced; Cleveland State, Youngstown State, and Wright State will be very inexpensive for Ohio residents as they will be charged the in-state rate; they are all D-1, so there is an opportunity for athletic scholarships. There are also numerous academic scholarships
available. Soccer wise – the competition is at a level that our girls with the right amount of dedication and hard work can earn a regular amount of playing time.
We have had three Shoregal alumni play in the Horizon League in recent years - Trisha Wladecki at Valparaiso, Taylor Miller at Cleveland State, and Caitlin Bodzioney at Youngstown State.
Next up, we will present some information on Division II schools starting off with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The GLIAC consists of 16 schools of which 13 have women’s soccer teams. The schools are located throughout Ohio and Michigan. The conference schools are as follows:
Ashland Univ.
Ferris State (Mich.)
Univ. of Findlay
Grand Valley State (Mich.)
Lake Erie College
Malone Univ.
Michigan Tech (Mich.)
Northern Michigan (Mich.)
Northwood Univ. (Mich.)
Ohio Dominican Univ.
Saginaw Valley State (Mich.)
Tiffin Univ.
Walsh Univ.
These colleges have student populations that range from a few thousand up to 10,000 students. All the schools are NCAA Div. 2 programs. That means athletic scholarships are available. Also, they are large enough to be able to offer a wider variety of majors. Grand Valley State is a national power in women's soccer and was the Div. II National Champion in 2013 and 2014. Many of the Michigan schools are in prime skiing areas which offers another enticement for those who like to ski. The Ohio schools are loaded with players from the Cleveland area. These are programs where Avon Lake girls can be very competitive. So keep these schools in mind when making college visits and as possibilities to play soccer.
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Next conference to mention will be the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
This is a NCAA Division II conference which means scholarships are available. As the name would suggest, all of these schools are located in the state of Pennsylvania. About half of the conference is located in the eastern part of the state, but of most interest to us are the schools in the western side of the state which are within a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive from Avon Lake. The conference schools are as follows:
West Chester Univ.
Slippery Rock Univ.
E. Stroudsburg Univ.
Edinboro Univ.
Bloomsburg Univ.
Indiana Univ. of PA.
Kutztown Univ.
Lock Haven Univ.
Shippensburg Univ.
Clarion Univ.
Mansfield Univ.
California Univ.
Millersville Univ.
Gannon Univ.
Mercyhurst Univ.
Seton Hill
Univ. of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
The profile for these schools are that they are small to mid-sized schools ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 students. The western PA schools - Edinboro, Clarion, Slippery Rock, IUP, California, Gannon, Mercyhurst, Seton Hill, and Pitt-Johnstown are all relatively close to Ohio and Avon Lake. Very good athletic and academic conference. Yet another place where AL girls can find success. Once again, many girls from the Greater Cleveland area are playing at these schools. For example, Edinboro has 6 girls from our immediate area on their team – 1 each from Avon, Amherst, Bay, North Olmsted, Westlake, & Olmsted Falls – all girls that we played against and teams that we were competitive with. People in Ohio have a tendency to overlook the wealth of schools which exist in Pennsylvania. Well worth your time to check into.
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There are some other Ohio Div. II schools that play in other conferences as follows:
Notre Dame College & Urbana Univ. play in the Mountain East Conference which is primarily made up of schools from West Virginia.
Ursuline College and Cedarville Univ. play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference whose other members hail from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The profile for the above two conferences are that they are generally small schools with a strong Christian influence. The schools range in size from 600 – 3,000 students. Avon Lake High School has roughly 1,200 students in comparison with an average class size of 300. So these colleges are anywhere from half the size of ALHS to approx. a little more than twice the size of the high school. Many of the schools have a strong Christian influence even to the point where bible study classes are a required part of the curriculum and regular attendance at chapel services is also required. As a parent, you can expect many of these colleges to have “dry” campuses. This may be exactly the kind of environment that you are looking for in your daughter’s college experience. On the soccer side, competition for scholarships is going to be limited because of the small size of the schools which increases the likelihood of your daughter receiving money. These are definitely programs where Avon Lake girls can succeed. You would need to visit to see if they may be right for your daughter.
Next up we will present some information on NCAA Div. III schools and how they operate.
NCAA Div. III schools are typically small (less than 3,000 students), liberal arts, academically oriented schools. They are the largest of the three NCAA divisions and account for 40% of all colleges. They are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships and you do not need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. However, these colleges are usually generous with both academic scholarships and need based financial aid which they combine to bring their costs in line with that of a typical state school. On the soccer side, these schools are aligned in conferences, play for a national championship, and feature a level of play which is attainable for the typical Avon Lake player. Two recent graduates who are attending D-III schools and are having success playing soccer are Dana & Jillian Strimbu who play for Otterbein University. There are 448 D-III schools across the U. S. and Avon Lake is located within reasonable reach of 97 of those schools in a 4 state area as follows:
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Ohio - 22
Pennsylvania - 57
Michigan - 8
Indiana - 10
The Ohio schools are listed as follows:
Baldwin-Wallace
Kenyon College
Bluffton Univ.
Capital Univ.
Marietta College
Case Western Reserve Univ.
Univ. of Mount Union
College of Mt. St. Joseph
Muskingum Univ.
The College of Wooster
Oberlin College
Defiance College
Ohio Northern Univ.
Denison Univ.
Ohio Wesleyan Univ.
Heidelberg Univ.
Otterbein Univ.
Hiram College
Wilmington College
John Carroll Univ.
Wittenberg Univ.
Franciscan Univ. of Steubenville
Almost half of the Ohio schools play in the Ohio Athletic Conference which is one of the premier D-III conferences in the country. Take some time to research and visit these schools, you may be surprised at what they have to offer.
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Next, we need to mention some info. on NAIA schools. They are only 5 schools left in Ohio from this governing organization that still field women’s soccer teams as follows:
Cincinnati Christian Univ.
Mount Vernon Nazarene Univ.
Shawnee State Univ.
Univ. of Northwestern Ohio
Univ. of Rio Grande
These are typically small schools with between 1,000 to 4,500 students. There was at one time many more NAIA schools in Ohio; however, many of them have converted to NCAA Div. II schools. Some nice advantages of NAIA schools is that they do offer scholarships, the recruiting rules are very simple, coaches can have almost unlimited contact with prospects, and the small size of the schools means a better opportunity to earn a scholarship. Once again, definitely a level that Avon Lake girls can compete successfully at.
Lastly, we would like to present some information on College Club soccer and what that is all about.
College soccer clubs are another option for your daughter to continue her soccer playing experience after high school. These clubs are made up of skilled high school players who cannot make the time commitment to a Varsity program usually due to their academic load, but still want to play at a competitive level as opposed to an intramural level. These clubs are run by the student players who take care of the administrative and fundraising functions of the club and who hire a legitimate soccer coach. The clubs usually run a year round training program which players attend as their schedules permit.
The clubs are organized into geographic leagues or conferences and play a regular schedule of games which lead to a National championship. The teams and leagues are organized under a national organizational body which is called the National Intramural – Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). In the Midwest area, schools are organized under the Women's Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference which includes schools from a 5 state area. Ohio schools that field club soccer teams include Toledo, Bowling Green, Dayton, Kent State, Miami, Ohio U., Ohio State, Cincinnati, Wright State, and Xavier. Most large colleges in every state have club soccer teams, so look for them as you make your college visits. You can find out more information about the W-MASC by visiting their website at: http://www.w-masc.com. Also, there is a lot more to NIRSA than I have space to write about here and to learn more go to: www.nirsa.org
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Club soccer presents a great opportunity for your daughter to not only continue her playing career, but also as a learning experience as she will be a part of the team that actually runs the club. That kind of experience can serve you well in your future career and would be looked upon favorably by future employers.
Currently at Butler University, junior Rachel Gates plays for their club soccer team and at Wright State Univ. freshman Cara Dannemiller also plays club soccer. In the recent past, Tani Lopez played for Ohio State which is a powerhouse in women's club soccer. They consistently have one of the top teams in the nation which is what you would expect from such a large school and is a school that many ALHS graduates choose as a place to continue their education. Collegiate club soccer is definitely an option to give serious consideration as it continues to grow in popularity as an alternative to the rigors of Varsity level competition. Be sure to check this out on your college visitations.
Two final thoughts –
Keep your pursuit of an athletic scholarship in perspective. The most important reason to attend high school and college is to receive an education. Your focus should always be on academics first. There are many, many more times the amount of academic scholarships available as compared to athletic. If you keep balance, then you may find that academic scholarship money will lead your daughter to a college where she can play soccer also. Use your daughter’s strong academics to provide the money to enable her to continue her soccer career at the appropriate college.
Lastly, – be realistic about the level of your daughter’s talent and plan accordingly. You can play college soccer if you match yourself to the appropriate level of program. Focus your attention on the right type of schools early and your daughter may have a very realistic opportunity of realizing her dream to play college soccer. Our recent history indicates that only 1 or 2 of our girls per year will play Div. I or Div. II soccer. We are working hard to increase those numbers. But certainly, most of our Varsity players can play at the Div. III level, but they don’t seek out these opportunities in hopes of something bigger. Evaluate your place in the soccer world and pursue what is the right fit for your daughter. Best of Luck in your college search!
