Pros and Cons of Women Playing College Soccer 

By Lillian Battey

Should soccer players participate in college soccer or go straight to a pro team? What are the pros and cons of women playing college soccer? You may wonder. Well, one positive is, you can be recruited to the NWSL, and if a college coachcoaches wantswant you, they can give you a scholarship. This, which means you might be able to have your school paid for and your dorm too. On the other hand, there are downsides to playing in college. PlayersYou could get hurt, but if you do play, theyyou can also make a career out of it. So there are upsides and, there are also downsides to it. For example, Sophia Smith played for Stanford University in California. She played forward on the school soccer team. In her first year of college, she got really hurt and had to have surgery on her ankle, but she came back the next season and led her team to the championship. By going to Stanford, she got to leave college and enter the NWSL draft. Sophia wasgot drafted by Portland Thorns FC at the age of 19. She was the first teenager to get drafted in the NWSL. Sophia plays for the Portland Thorns currently and has won multiple games with the Thorns. Another example is player Alex Morgan, who played for the University of California and received several awards for soccer. Alex graduated in 2010 and played in the women's professional soccer (WPS) from 2013-2015. After that, she played for the Portland Thorns FC and switched to Orlando Pride in 2016, then played in France from 2020-21. She then moved over to the San Diego Wave in 2021-24 before she retired. Morgan also played for the women's national team from 2013 to 2023. A lot of people might want to play college soccer, but they also are afraiddon't want to play because they don't want to get hurt. Like Sophia Smith,  who can't play soccer anymore because she tore her tear your acl, and your meniscus, and all those little tendons and muscles, playersyou can also get multiple concussions to where you can't play because you might get brain damage. But in my opinion, you are more likely to tear something running around with little kids than playing sports. 

Pros of playing college soccer 

1. You can get recruited to the NWSL

2. You can gain scholarships

3.  You can stay fit 

4. You can gain lifelong friends

5. Time management skills 

Cons of playing college soccer 

1. The risk of injury is higher 

2. Mentally challenging 

3. Big time commitment 

4. Lamented opportunities  

5. Potential high anxiety