For many youth soccer players, playing college soccer is the ultimate dream. For me, my college soccer career was one of the most important and transformative times of my life as a player and person.
But it was nothing like I imagined it would be.
I can’t remember exactly what I envisioned it would be like when I was in high school, but there are plenty of things I wish I’d known ahead of time.
Here are a few of the top things I wish I knew before playing college soccer.
College Soccer Goes By Fast, Really Fast
Maybe the top thing I wish I knew before playing college soccer is how quickly it goes by. One of the things I remember most clearly about my freshman year is seniors telling me how fast it goes by. I remember not really believing that 4 years could just fly by…until it did.
Compared to high school, college soccer seemed to shoot by in the blink of an eye. Despite all the complaints and miserable fitness (I’ll get there soon), it was over before I knew it.
Now, even though I still play professionally, I frequently miss it. I hold onto the memories from that time and that team dearly. I really do wish I could go back sometimes.
I’ll be another older player telling you, begging you to realize, that college soccer flies by. It’s over before you know it. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Yes, even when it sucks.
College Soccer is Harder Than You Think
I’ll be the first to admit I was utterly unprepared for my first season of college soccer. That’s because it was simply way harder than I realized it would be. The jump from club soccer to D1, Power Five soccer was enormous, and I didn’t fully understand this until I experienced it.
I wish, more than anything, I realized just how big this leap would be. I always worked hard, but I know I could have worked even harder in my summer preparation.
You can never be 100% ready for such a change, and the step-up is different for each player. My advice would be to do more than you think you need. Speak with college players and try to work out with them whenever you can.
Fitness Tests Won’t (Quite) Kill You
College soccer is incredibly physical and focuses heavily on fitness. Fitness tests are a common part of the process, both in pre-season and throughout the offseason. Honestly, they created so much stress and anxiety for me and my teammates.
Before heading to college, I wish I had done more fitness tests more often for practice. This would have made them far less intimidating and scary. If I could go back in time, I would try to implement more fitness tests in high school to adapt physically and mentally to the upcoming college environment.
Spring Season…Enough Said
Something I was incredibly unprepared for was the college soccer offseason. In high school, there really wasn’t an off-season. We had a club league starting in August and going through the fall. Throughout winter, we had college showcases and various tournaments. Come spring, it was time for the high-school soccer season (or more club soccer in my case.) Basically, the offseason was minimal. There were games and seasons almost all of the time.
Well, things are quite different in college. Yes, we were almost always training. But the actual college soccer season was short…or rather “condensed.” We played over 20-something games, but all within a 2.5-3 month period. That meant 9 months of the year was the offseason.
A 9-month offseason means that there’s PLENTY of time to do more running and very intense gym sessions. Winter training and spring training seasons were far more intense and grueling than I could have imagined. Anyone looking to play college soccer needs to realize how much of each year is just training, running, and lifting. It also gets hard. It makes you want to quit. It tests your passion for the game. Even so, it makes the season all that much more special and important. But it’s a very tough adjustment.
You Should Spend More Time on the Ball than Running
Given everything I’ve said above, this may come as a bit of a surprise, but I wish I’d spent more time improving my game-specific skills and less time running throughout college. The frequency and importance of fitness tests in college make it seem like running is what matters most. The winter and summer fitness packets are primarily fitness and strength-based. It’s easy to get obsessed with those aspects and let the ACTUAL SOCCER fall by the wayside.
But what I really learned from fitness tests is that they are not accurate predictors of how you perform on the field. They’re a means to an end. You have to satisfy the coaches and ensure your playing eligibility. So yes, this requires doing some fitness in the offseason.
However, where you really grow as a player is in game situations. The summer I made the biggest improvements (and did the best on the fitness tests) was the summer I played on a very competitive W-league team, the Seattle Sounders women’s team. I did extra fitness when I didn’t get a ton of minutes, but the high-level training environment and games made the biggest difference.
Looking back, I wish I made game situations and technical training my priority in the summers even more than I did. This would have made a bigger difference in my growth as a player. As much as college soccer puts you in a “fitness” mind frame, the key is to balance running with actually improving gameplay.
Nothing Will Ever Be the Same as It
I can’t emphasize this enough. NOTHING compares to college soccer, for better or for worse. I had no idea my time as a Gopher soccer player would be as important as it’s become. Nothing before or after has ever come close.
There’s a lot to hate about college soccer. The over-emphasis on fitness, the long off-season, the stress. These aspects all kinda suck. But representing your university on a national stage with a core group of players is something incredibly special. It’s even more special when you break records and win championships, of course!
I’d just want any aspiring college athletes to know they’re about to enter a transformative time. It will change your relationship with your sport and develop you for whatever comes next in life. This change isn’t always positive, I’ve seen so many people lose their love for the game. But even those people developed lifelong skills, friendships, and lessons.
So before entering the crazy, tiring, electric world of college soccer, be ready for something beyond unique. Soak in the lessons and embrace every moment. Push yourself to your limit, but hold onto the great moments. It’s one of the top things I wish I knew before playing college soccer.