Miranda Schulz, Midfielder, Slammers FC
Class: 2014
Commitment: Oregon

Midfielder Miranda Schulz loves the outdoors so it was no surprise that the Southern California girl decided to stay on the West Coast and give her verbal commitment to the University of Oregon recently.

She is thankful that the Slammers were there to guide her through the college selection process.

“Recruiting starts so early in women’s soccer and I had no idea what I wanted.  The Slammers were super supportive and my coach George Larsen worked to understand what motivated me and then he personally called the coaches and arranged for me to visit schools that he thought would be a good fit.”

Despite how time consuming the college visits were, Miranda is glad she took the time to tour many campuses.  “After every visit, I learned a little more what I really wanted from a school. I liked every school I explored in some way but my mom said she did not see the ‘spark’ in me until I visited Oregon.”

Schulz is an excellent student and will be graduating from Great Oak High School with an International Baccalaureate diploma.  It was important that the school she chose accepted her diploma and provided a challenging and diverse curriculum. 

“I think I am interested in the medical field but I am not sure what I will want in 3-4 years,” she said. “Oregon offers a variety of degree programs so that I can explore many classes and decide later.”

Ashley Williams, Forward, Rising Stars SC Blasters (New York)
Class: 2013
Commitment: Syracuse

A tenacious, and hard-working forward, the college search process wasn’t an easy one for Ashley Williams.

“It was a tough decision selecting a college that I wanted to attend for the next four years,” she said. “I was not expecting the whole recruiting process to work the way it did but I decided that even if I miss out on an opportunity I was not going to rush into this decision.”

Ultimately, after putting in the time, she finally a spot she was comfortable with in Syracuse

“After spending time at several schools I just felt that SU had what I wanted a great academic program and a soccer program that is moving in the right direction,” she said. “It seemed that whenever I spoke to coach Neel Bhattacharjee or Phil Wheddon I never had that pressure of hurry up and make a decision. It was always about what Syracuse has to offer and what I can bring to the team.”

Of course, the program’s conference move didn’t hurt the decision-making process, as now Williams will get the chance to compete in one of the best women’s soccer conferences in the country.

“The move to the ACC made it that much more appealing as I love the challenge that lies ahead joining such a strong soccer conference,” she said. “The coaches made me feel as if I was an important part of the future and with that reassurance it was an easy choice as I was well already aware of the academics offered at SU.”

Other girls commitments:

Madison Bower (LDC United Elite) has committed to La Salle.

Leah Connerty (Aztec Soccer Club, class of 2013) has committed to William Smith(w).

Kristen Cardano (TSC Hurricane, class of 2013) will play at Florida next fall.

Emily Ogle (Internationals, class of 2014) has committed to Alabama.

Carlie Cook (TSC Hurricane, class of 2014) has committed to Oral Roberts.

Jennifer Wittick has committed to Georgia Southern for the class of 2013.

Kaitlyn Del Savio has committed to Georgetown with the class of 2014.