Rage Article   By Alicia Fraticelli

            I started playing soccer at the age of 5 and fell in love with the game. I was never the best player on the field nor did I stand out like some of the other girls I played with, who eventually made it to the national level. But being the best player and getting a college scholarship weren’t the goals that I strived for in soccer, it was simply to have fun.

As I grew older, many girls moved up to play on the Al-Caffodio team but I was satisfied on the Upper House team. It was competitive but never incredibly serious. It still allowed me to grow stronger as a player and I improved my skills right along side everybody else. But the thing that I loved most about Upper House was how it allowed me to have a life outside soccer. Yes we traveled, yes we had practice twice a week, but that was it! I was able to commit to more than one sport, which in my case was dance. I started to dance in the 2^nd grade and I was a competitive dancer for 7 years. Dance was the sport that took most of my time and soccer took a backseat. As I went into high school, I decided that I didn’t want to have commitments because I was excited to become involved with my school. I stopped dancing but I never gave up on soccer. I continued to play division 3 and I also decided to play for my high school team in the winter. I played on the Amador Valley girl’s freshman soccer team and I had an awesome experience. I was MVP that year and it really boosted my confidence as a soccer player. Because soccer was so important to me, I decided to go out for the track team so I could get into great shape for my next season with Rage. Not only did I get in the best shape of my life but I had found my true passion. Although track became my ultimate focus, I still continued with soccer and I played on the JV team my sophomore year. In my junior year, I decided not to play for the high school anymore as I was determined to succeed as a runner. Track was my number one priority and again, club soccer became just the fun sport I did on the side and again it was only at the division 3 level. Even though soccer was second on my list, I never could have quit. It was the one hobby that I always enjoyed ever since I was a kid and it never failed to be fun.

Senior year came and went. I participated in my last season as a player for the Pleasanton Rage and it was a wonderful 14 years that I played with the club. I was heading down to Orange County to attend a Chapman University in the fall and I couldn’t have been happier. My one concern was what it would be like to not be active and participate in organized sports. I knew that my track career had come to an end for good, but I questioned what my life would be like without soccer, the one sport that I never gave up on. It was then that I decided to go out for the women’s soccer team at Chapman. After all, it was a division 3 school and I believed that I was good enough to play at that level.

I trained three days a week during my summer vacation in order to get in shape for tryouts. I was walking on so I knew that I had to come out strong and play my hardest. In late August, I walked onto the field and gave it my all. We had double days for tryouts but I made it to the end and was given a spot on the team of 23 girls. College sports are very time-consuming and physically demanding, but I am enjoying every minute of it. I have improved significantly already this season on the Chapman women’s soccer team and I am striving to become a solid player on my team. We are having a successful season and I am personally doing well as a forward or midfielder leading the team in goals.

I wish to encourage anyone with a passion for soccer to follow their dreams. I was never a full time soccer player, I played division 3 soccer my whole life, I was committed to other activities, but I was still capable of playing college ball! Anything is possible if you work hard enough to achieve it J