By OkayGoal 
For student-athletes, June 15th is more than a date on the calendar; it’s a turning point. It’s the day Division I and II college coaches can officially start reaching out. And for me, at first it felt like everything had been building toward this moment, and I used to think June 15th was the finish line. I now know that it’s just the beginning, the starting whistle in a long back-and-forth match.
When my June 15th recruitment window opened up last year, it felt like I was off to a solid start. My phone lit up with texts, emails, and calls from coaches at programs that had been tracking me. It was both exciting and validating. But that initial rush didn’t last, and the landscape changed quite fast.
The phone calls, texts, and emails where coaches shared genuine interest became fewer. They seemed to be replaced with more general and vague interests and, to me, felt misleading.
This all started when coaches began adjusting the new roster caps to 28 players to prepare for the NCAA settlement. Some programs that were once planned to carry four goalkeepers decided only to take three. Suddenly, schools that had told me I was a top option for their 2026 class were pivoting, saying they’d wait for a 2027 GK instead. That news hit hard. Not because I thought recruitment would be easy, but because it was a reminder of how unpredictable the process truly can be, even when you feel like you have done everything right.
At the same time, I was also in my junior year, the most academically intense year of high school yet. Trying to balance my academics, such as SATs and school projects, with training, matches, and recruitment updates felt overwhelming at times. And then there’s everything else! Trying to show up for your team, be present with family and friends, and get enough rest to avoid burnout is exhausting! I watched a couple of former teammates give up soccer because of this. The pressure builds quietly until it suddenly feels overwhelming.
That’s when I learned how critical your support system is.
If there’s one thing I’d tell every GK and other student-athletes looking ahead to their own June 15th, and the months to follow, it’s this: build your circle of support team now. Add to it. Strengthen it. That means more than just teammates and coaches. It means people who get what you’re going through. Mentors. Former players. Trusted voices. What worked for me was connecting with organizations like Female Footballers and the Girls Soccer Network (GSN), where I could hear from others who had shared their recruiting experiences and lived through them. It meant having open and honest conversations with my coaches, not just about my game, but about my goals and where I stood in the process. Those conversations didn’t always solve everything, but they did help me feel less alone. Talking out loud and getting these feelings out in the open was everything.
So my advice is, I encourage student-athletes not to wait. Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed, doubting yourself, or trying to make a massive decision at midnight. Reach out now. Ask questions. Open up. Let people in.
Because June 15th isn’t your final destination, it’s the first day of a long road–a road that requires patience, perspective, and support. And as a GK, you already know how to stay calm under pressure. Just remember: you don’t have to do it alone. As I still wait for the right program to call and offer me a roster spot, I continually rely on my circle of support and have faith that with the new roster cap, the right opportunity is about to open up.
Featured image via Kelly Hoover & TurfBlur
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS