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Expanding Your Horizons
In order to find your perfect college match you may need to expand your horizons. Many student-athletes and their families are only familiar with local colleges and universities and with the schools they watch on ESPN and read about in Sports Illustrated. In reality, there are hundreds of excellent colleges and soccer programs scattered across the entire United States.
The state of California, for example, is home to many talented youth soccer players, however there are only 64 colleges in California that offer NCAA/NAIA men’s soccer, and 68 that offer NCAA/NAIA women’s soccer. Considering that the average college soccer team carries approximately 25-30 players, there is simply not enough space for every talented student-athlete from California to find an opportunity to play soccer in their home state.
The good news is that there are more than enough roster spots across the country to accommodate every qualified soccer player. If you look outside your back yard you will discover many places where you can earn a degree and play college soccer. Outside of California there are 894 men’s soccer programs and1,076 soccer programs for women at the NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III and NAIA levels.
These numbers may appear staggering but research will help you narrow your selection. College Web sites, college ranking guides such as the NCSA Power Rankings and the US Newsand World Report, and Web sites like collegenet.com are valuable resources that can help you learn more about colleges and universities. If you research big schools, small schools, urban schools, rural schools, east coast schools, west coast schools, Division I, Division II, and Division III schools, you will begin to get a feel for what various colleges and universities have to offer. Review college soccer rosters and look at the players’ high school experiences to see where you may measure up .
Many student-athletes fail to recognize that the best collegiate opportunities may be at schools of which they have never heard. By leaving your comfort zone you allow yourself the chance to find many new paths to success.
ABOUT NCSA
NCSA, the Official Scouting Organization and Provider of Recruiting Education for Cal South, is the premier source for matching high school scholar – athletes with colleges and universities across the country. NCSA is the "Eyes & Ears" of more than 40,000 college coaches, who rely on NCSA's experienced scouting team and instant response capabilities to provide them with quality prospective recruits. NCSA prides itself in educating high school student-athletes and their families about the college recruiting process. Please visit www.ncsasports.org for more information about NCSA.
