Sofia Traversari '23 Recruiting Profile

Hello! I am Sofía and I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember. I come from Nicaragua, a very small third world country down in Central America. I have played soccer all my life in Nicaragua starting with my school team, then the U15, U16, and U17 Nicaraguan National Team, and my former D1 club team called "The Legends". Playing soccer has always been such a huge part of my life. It has helped me grow as an athlete, student and individual as a whole. For me, soccer has never been  just a sport that I unconditionally love, but rather a lifestyle that has taught me and is still teaching me valuable lessons of life like: perseverance, discipline, hard-work, sacrifice, mental and physical strength, patience, sportsmanship, trust but most importantly, determination. 

The moment I knew  I wanted to pursue soccer at the highest, most professional collegiate level was back in 2017, when I was just 13 years old. This was my first year playing with the U15 Nicaragua National Team, in which then I claimed I was going to work so hard to end up playing with the best of the best in the mere future. 

Nevertheless, I have been taught my entire life about the balance of a student athlete and how equally important academics is to soccer. I consider myself a very disciplined and responsible hard working student as I always prioritize my academics above all. I've always been able to maintain a GPA of a minimum of 3.7 and a maximum of 3.95.

With time, I have realized that being a student athlete uncovers many traits. I always make sure to prioritize and balance my academic life with my athletic life. Being a high performance athlete has made me identify everything I need to work on to become the best version I can be of myself. I have realized that being an athlete with goals to achieve is divided into different areas... like prioritizing one's nutrition, one's mental health and strength, physical strength and fitness, one's technical skill work, practice one's game day mindset, be a selfless team player, have good sportsmanship, be a team leader, a good listener and very coachable. 

I am also and ambassador for a non profit called GirlsSoccerWorldWide which supports young soccer players all over Latin America and the USA to rise out of poverty through education and the gateway of sports (soccer). This has been a huge part of my life since this organizations promotes what I've lived my entire life which is the balance and importance of BOTH soccer and academics. And it has been great to pass this mindset along younger generations who have huge aspirations!

Overall, I am so excited to attend a college where I can push myself both inside and outside the classroom and on the field! To play a very high level of soccer will push me to compete AGAINST myself to be the very best I can be! I am open minded to many options out there and ultimately I will be able to find a right match for me!