Riley Richardson '22 Recruiting Profile

I have played soccer for 12 years; starting at 5 years old, I have always loved everything about the game. Whether it be running as fast as you can down the line, successfully stopping a ball after patiently anticipating it on defense, or celebrating with your team after a big win, I love all of it. I wasn’t always a stand-out player on the field, but I was always dedicated to giving the team my all in any situation. I know that plenty of girls can write that they love the game and have played since they were 5, but something that makes me different from others is my hardwork and dedication. I am always pushing myself to become better. I never let myself slack off in practice and try to take advantage of any opportunity I have to get better. When I was younger I was comparatively much smaller than my teammates and although I possessed some speed, it was never enough to be very dangerous offensively because my ball skills didn’t match my speed. In response to the disparities, I started taking my training more seriously at the end of freshman year, so that I could become more of a competitor. I started lifting and worked with coaches to improve my touch. Not long after this, it was clear to see changes in the way I played. My legs became much stronger and now I am able to consistently get 35-40 yard clearance on long balls. My touch also significantly improved and that has allowed me to carry the ball with speed and become more confident offensively (whether it be tackles, breakaways, for 50/50 balls). Through this extra work, I was able to completely change my “soccer persona” from a timid player, to an aggressive and strong player. My dedication is also highlighted in my junior season. During tryouts my coach consistently put me at the center back positions as he narrowed down what the line up would look like. Before the season I had never played center back; I had primarily been a midfielder, occasionally playing full back. Playing center back comes with a lot of responsibility and takes a certain player to be there so I was very excited when my coach said he wanted me to play it, but that excitement was also met with an appropriate amount of fear. Starting in a brand new position was pretty intimidating so I took many steps to prepare. During practice I made sure I was attentive and putting  forth 100% effort in every drill and instruction our coach offered. Additionally, I watched and studied the center back position in multiple games on film, I also went to the field on my own time to work on my touch and passing accuracy (all things that center backs needed to be fully capable of). Even though I was a defensive player, I was able to create many of the scoring opportunities for our team because I took the majority of free kicks and had good service on long balls. Our team had a great season, we finished the year as district champions. It was also a successful year for me personally because I was named first team all-district, all-conference and was announced the all conference defensive player of the year. This was a huge honor due to the fact that it was my first year playing defense. These examples show my dedication to the team and the game. I think these qualities make me a great candidate for soccer at the collegiate level. It is important to have reliable players and teammates. You want to depend on them and know you can always count on them to put in extra work and do their part in making the team even better.