<p>Hi all--this is a very general question, I know...My daughter is in the very beginning stages of narrowing down where she'd like to go to college. Played JV her freshman year (this year)...has always been a GK and loves it. She's pretty much in the middle academically but is capable of much more. We attended an info session for NYU and she very quickly figured out that 1. she needs to step it up in her schoolwork and 2. there are a LOT of people competing for not a lot of spots. She's more interested in schools on the east coast, and wants to play soccer. Any thoughts or experience would be so appreciated! So glad we found this forum!</p>
<p>Is she playing club soccer? From my experience most of the college soccer recruiting takes place at the club level (Showcase tourneys, ID Camps). </p>
<p>She was invited to try out for our club team so hopefully, yes, she will be making the move from flight to club. We probably could’ve pushed her earlier to try this but I’ve always wanted that to come from her. She has grown into having a real love for the game and says she’ll play at some level in her college years, whether she’s recruited or not. I was just curious because everyone keeps telling us we should push her in this direction, but I think that rarely works out. Additionally there’s the question of injury–so I really want her to focus on academics…</p>
<p>Search this board for series of posts by Keeperdad. He describes their D1 female, GK recruiting path. While his info is specific to D1, his messages are full of helpful details. </p>
<p>Thanks Midwestmomofboys…funny you should mention that because I just came across his posts this morning. I really am impressed by their family’s approach to what can become soccer craziness. My own D is also extremely loyal to her club and school teams so what he posts does resonate with me…thanks so much for your reply!</p>
<p>Hi KeeperMom2. Glad to hear the thread I started awhile back resonates. Craziness is a good word to use! If your daughter continues to want to play soccer in college, you’re about to start what can be a very crazy 2-3 years. Lots of ups and downs, sometimes lots of emotion, never boring, but ultimately it can be very gratifying. The night my daughter called the recruiting coach to make her verbal commitment to the school she attends now (and the school she had dreamed of playing soccer for since she was 9 years old) was a very exciting evening, not only because her dream had come to fruition, but to some extent, simply because the process was over (or at least shifting into a new phase)!</p>
<p>It’s good to hear that your daughter is recognizing the importance of academics. It’s hard to exaggerate how important academics become during the recruiting process. When we finally got near the end of the process, it seemed like the recruiting coach at the school our daughter ultimately chose was asking about her academics every time we turned around - what her grades were, what classes she was taking, what classes she was planning on taking, etc., etc. I had the impression he was going back and forth between asking her and then talking to the department in which she wanted to study (mechanical engineering) - to make sure the classes she was taking and the grades she was receiving would be sufficient for her to be accepted. At one point, for example, he said the department was expressing concern that she hadn’t taken physics in high school (she wanted to but it couldn’t be scheduled). At least in our experience, it seemed like a very detailed process.</p>
<p>To answer the question in the title of your thread (how heavy female goalkeepers are recruited), a lot of it depends on how many goalkeepers a school has and what their grad year is. Different schools also have different strategies with regard to keepers. At the school where my daughter is, they tend to recruit a new keeper every 2 years (they actually recruited my daughter in an off year, but that was at least partially because she expressed a great deal of interest in playing for them). Even though the other goalkeeper on the team is only one year ahead of her, my daughter red-shirted her first year, so in effect, they are now 2 years apart. Other schools seems to like to have 1 keeper for every grad year. One of my daughter’s keeper friends was recruited to a school that actually recruited another keeper for the same year (and I was just talking to a father of one of her other friends - a field player - who is at a school my daughter’s school just played in a spring game - and he told me that they had 2 new keepers coming in for the upcoming fall season - and only one keeper currently on the spring squad). One of my daughter’s other keeper friends is a senior in high school this year and was recruited to play for an NAIA school. My daughter just told me that they actually recruited a total of four (!) keepers for the same year - because it apparently is common for keepers to quit after the first year (my daughter says that keeper training is extremely rigorous, at least at the D1 level - on top of normal D1 training (which is tough) and a big academic commitment on top of it all.</p>
<p>If a keeper is skilled and has strong academics, they will be very heavily recruited. In my daughter’s case, she did not get as much exposure as some (because she didn’t go to any of the large showcases), but she still ended up with about 10 schools who expressed interest (some expressed initial interest but my daughter didn’t have reciprocal interest - others were quite aggressive in their pursuit). In the end, she largely narrowed her choice down to two schools and spent a lot of time talking to the coaches, visiting the schools, talking to academic representatives, etc.</p>
<p>It’s wise to not push your daughter. When it comes time, starting college will be a big adjustment for her. One thing she won’t need is any extra-curricular activity which she really isn’t passionate about.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask - I’d be happy to share our experiences.</p>
<p>Thanks KeeperDad! I appreciate it…interesting that the coach kept checking back on your daughter’s course load and performance. I think that’s great–they’re obviously concerned that the students can also handle the rigors of training and traveling to play…I know you mentioned your daughter is playing D1…I’ve heard that this is much more demanding than D2 or D3. The schools my daughter has been most interested in thus far have been D3.</p>
<p>Right now we are just seeing how placements go. Her motivator is playing with a team that she “jells” with. She’s very relaxed and not outwardly competitive (for a spot, I mean) off the field, but on the field she is beyond aggressive. It’s been an interesting journey and I’m trying to strike the right balance between providing opportunities for her and letting her forge her own path. I really appreciate all of your prior posts and hope your daughter is enjoying her freshman year!</p>
<p>Hard to say how heavily GKs are recruited because as indicated above, it is different everywhere. What we have found out though is that if you are interested in a school and look at current roster and it looks full, call anyway and ask about the situation. You never know if someone has had a career ending injury, a change of heart, poor academics, poor team chemistry and so on. </p>
<p>We are currently going through the process in D3. D, nor we are interested in the D1 schedule. In fact, I think as parents we’d prefer her to do intramurals even but she insists that she wants varsity so we are all working together to find the right, and best, solution.</p>
<p>Well I hope you guys find the right fit for her…I think in the end that’s the most important thing…I appreciate the feedback and I know what you mean about intramurals. My D is just happier and more organized when she’s playing (at any level). I wish your family much luck in the process and will be following your posts to see how your daughter is doing :)</p>