Rachel Dahlem '20 Recruiting Profile

Hi! My name's Rachel Dahlem. I don't have a typical soccer story. I started playing soccer when I was ten with my elementary school. I played for my school well into high school. I wasn't really serious about soccer until I got hurt playing and had to sit out for a season. After that season, I wasn't seeing much playing time. Then I met the current coach of my high school team. She recognized how much I loved soccer and pushed me to play better and take it seriously. To make me take it seriously, I got promoted to captain of the soccer team.  I started eating better, I trained everyday, and I lost a lot of weight leading into what was going to be my senior season.

For the longest time, I struggled with depression, but the minute I started being more serious about soccer, I started feeling happier. Soccer improved my self-image, my fitness, and my love for sports. Because of soccer, I even started getting interested in playing more sports, such as volleyball and waterskiing. Wanting to play soccer turned my life from miserable to exhilarating. 

 My coach was really pushing me to go to a bunch of ID camps because she wanted me to play in college. However, we both recognized that this was a far -fetched idea- I'd never played club soccer and I didn't see as much playing time in my favored position as I would have liked during my previous three soccer seasons. We had it all set up to get footage during my senior seasons and to attend ID camps. Then, the day before the season started, we went into lockdown. A week into lockdown, my high school decided to cancel spring sports. I still trained everyday, because I wanted to believe that we might still have some sort of season. The season never came. 

I still wanted to play soccer, so I signed up for the adult league here in Cedar Rapids. Shortly after I joined, I got Covid from the league. The recovery has been long and difficult. I lost a lot of fitness mostly because I couldn't breathe right. I'm still working on improving, but I recognize that this would be something I need to work towards. 

I think that I would be a good candidate for the team because I am so passionate about soccer. As my high school coach once said, "I've never met someone who loves soccer as much as you do." I'm willing to commit time and effort into becoming a better player. I've been called a very coachable player; I'll do anything you want me to do. I feel like I'm probably a lot different than other recruits you might be looking at. As I already stated, I don't have club experience, and I don't have much in the way of stats from high school (I was a defender for my first three years in high school).  One thing I do have that others might not is a passion to play soccer. I don't care if I ever start another game again. I just want to be able to play soccer with other girls who have the same desire. I am mostly looking at D3 and NAIA schools. 

Right now, I am at a Kirkwood Community College to get an Associates degree in the physical therapist assistant program. I have a 3.85 GPA as of right now and have been on the Dean's List for my first two semesters, and am invested in my studies. After completing this program, I would like to attend a four-year college to get a Bachelor's degree in exercise science or athletic training and (hopefully) play soccer. Currently, I am playing in the adult co-ed league here in Cedar Rapids and assistant coaching the CVC/Alburnett Seadogs

Last of all, I wanted to thank you for taking time to read this lengthy little tidbit about my soccer journey.