5 REASONS TO START COLLEGE RECRUITING EARLIER THAN YOU THINK

The college recruiting process should begin much earlier than most families are aware of. It as though the recruits that coaches are looking at are getting younger and younger. In order for you not to lose any ground in your recruiting process, make sure you are familiar with everything you need to know for your freshman year of high school.


Here are five reasons why you should start your recruiting process earlier than you think:

Mountain Crest HS Graduate & Infinity SC Coach, Jaden Hoth plays
NCAA Division 1 Soccer at the University of Central Arkansas

Coaches are looking five years ahead.In order to secure promising young athletes to join their sports programs, many college coaches have started looking at recruit classes a few years ahead. There are some coaches who have successfully had kids as young as seventh graders commit to their program. So if you are waiting until your junior or senior year, you’re really late! Make sure to get organized and do your research as you enter high school so that you don’t lose any ground.

Freshman-year camps make a big difference.
It’s no question that attending camps and showcases in high school can make a huge difference in how college coaches view you as a prospect. But even those camps that you attend as a freshman can mean a lot. College coaches will want to see your progress throughout high school, so the more stats and experience you have, the better. Make sure to keep track of all results and stats as you attend camps and showcases so that you have something to present to the coaches and they can see how you have developed as a player.

Recruiting doesn’t start when a coach contacts you.
Athletes who are waiting for coaches to contact them are waiting too long! It’s a fact that coaches
realistically can’t recruit you unless they know you exist. This means that it’s up to you to be
proactive and get in touch with the coaches at schools you are interested in. If you wait around
hoping that they’ll come find you, it may be too late to find an opportunity. Start researching schools early and create a list of target schools where you can contact coaches at. It is important to build that relationship with the coach so you know what to expect when you make that final decision.

Infinity SC Alumni & Skyview HS Graduate Danica Hansen plays
Division 1 NJCAA Soccer at Iowa Western CC

If you aren’t talking to coaches, another athlete is.
There is high competition among high school athletes to find an opportunity to play sports in college- even more so to earn a scholarship. So if you think about it, every day that you are not making contact with a coach, another athlete is. If those days start adding up, more athletes are building these relationships with coaches, and you are getting further and further behind. Don’t miss out on any opportunities you could be taking advantage of and get yourself organized for the recruiting process.

Getting recruited is your responsibility, no one else’s.
Athletes need to understand that if they want to get recruited to play in college, they need to rely on themselves to make that happen. Too many kids are expecting their coach or their parents to take the lead in their recruiting, when in fact, they should be the ones contacting coaches. College coaches want to hear from the athlete and get to know them; they don’t want to hear from the coach or the athlete’s parents. Taking control of your recruiting process demonstrates to coaches how serious you are about competing at the college level and that you are mature enough to take responsibility of setting goals and making things happen for yourself.

(Taken from Athnet Get Recruited to Play College Sports -- Athleticscholarships.net)

If you are thinking that it is too late, you are wrong. But don’t procrastinate any longer—start now! Players can attend camps at any age. I would recommend researching schools and making a list of where you are interested in going. Look into out of state tuition fees, scholarship opportunities, academic requirements, and research the coaching staff and soccer program offered. Get information out to coaches and try to attend camps they offer. I am very willing to help talk to coaches and give recommendations for players. However, the coaches prefer to work with the players as much as possible. Get online and look into the information posted on the Infinity website regarding college preparation. Make sure to attend our meetings being held Nov. 5 for boys and Nov. 12 for girls at 7:00 at the Smithfield Rec Center. Your future is in your own hands. Make the most of it!

--Coach Sherri Dever

The Easiest Save a Goal Keeper Can Make

Authored by Mike Siler
Infinity SC Goal Keeper Director

What is the easiest save that a goalkeeper can make? Many of you are likely thinking that the easiest save is to scoop up a ball that is slowly rolling towards you. Although I wouldn't consider a front scoop a difficult save to make you still have to position yourself well, come out to cut off the angle, and temporarily take your eyes off of the field to look down at the ball not knowing who is in front of you or if you are going to be bumped. So is this the easiest save to make? No.

Even before the ball enters the 18 yard box the goalkeeper is processing the game, evaluating the defense, assessing the attack, and addressing any potential threats. In case you are still wondering; what is the easiest save that a goalkeeper can make, it is a verbal save. Ironically this is the save that most coaches will not notice but most all defensive players will. Goalkeepers with strong communication skills get shutouts and shutouts are the gold standard in the goalkeeping industry. Think of effective communication as shutting down the shot before it happens.

So let’s talk a little about what makes good communication. Rule #1: Good communication should be loud so all of the defensive players can  you. One of my biggest pet peeves as a trainer is to see players shine in goalkeeper training then observe them in a game where they whisper to their players. Their players cannot hear them and they do not have confidence in them. Remember good communication gets shutouts. Rule #2: Communication needs to be specific. One of the best examples of poor communication that I have ever heard is someone yelling “Mark up!” Unless you have a defender on your team named “Mark” and you are telling them to move “up” this communication is not specific and gives poor instruction. Once again be specific and only provide simple and brief instruction. Rule #3: Your communication should be effective. This often comes with game experience knowing what to say and when. Also on the lines of effective communication is the goalkeeper has to earn the respect and trust from their defenders. If the goalkeeper has their trust and respect then what the goalkeeper says the defense does.

Now that we have addressed the communication rules lets discuss the communication roles of a goalkeeper. No other player on the entire field has the total vision that the goalkeeper has. The goalkeeper can see 21 out of 22 players and the entire field all at the same time. For this reason their communication to the defense should have total authority and should not be second guessed. The first thing that I do regarding communication is to ensure that I have addressed the immediate threat, the attacking player with the ball. The most common thing that a goalkeeper will say is either “contain” or “delay” (meaning slow down the attack and do not stab at the ball), or “step” or “step to ball” (meaning step to the ball and apply immediate pressure). Both of these terms have their place relative to the position and pace of the attacker. Imagine the ball at midfield and a defender “steps” too early no defensive support. In this case the attacker will have a giant breakaway. In this same midfield scenario, if the defender delays or contains the attacker, they can slow them down until supporting defenders can arrive to help eliminate the threat. Now if we move the point of attack inside the 18 yard box you will often hear “step” as the keeper can see the shot coming and a defender often does not know whether to play the ball or the passing angle. The keeper can eliminate the guessing game by giving the assignment to “step to the ball”.

After I have addressed the immediate threat, I look at all other attackers to assess their positions and to their
supporting attacking player. If I can make sure that the attackers are marked or the defense is aware of the supporting attackers before the ball arrives then I did my job as a goalkeeper. Communication that a keeper may use in regards to the open/unmarked attacking players may be something like this, “Abby, the one behind you is your mark”. Or another key communication that I constantly say to defenders is to “stay central and leave the flanks”. In case you have not noticed when communicating to the defenders that are responsible for the open attackers the communication is typically more instructive and a little more detailed as their role is not as immediate and they have time to process the information.

Good communication is loud, specific, and effective and is the most common and easiest save that the goalkeeper makes in a game.