Madelyn Saruwatari '25 Recruiting Profile

My goal is to play NCAA Division 1 soccer.  I believe I am a good fit for a D1 program because in addition to being a strong soccer player, I work hard and I am determined. I always want to improve my soccer skills. Even if I am not playing, I enjoy watching college/pro soccer highlights to identify new skills and strategies. I love the competitiveness of soccer. I am the leading scorer and have the highest number of assists for my club team (Future FC) and we qualified for the national tournament in July, 2023 in Colorado.  I am consistently the leading scorer for my club team.  As a Sophomore, I am a starter for my High School Varsity Soccer team.  Our team is currently ranked #1 in California and #2 in the United States.  I have the second highest number goals on my varsity team and I lead the team in assists.  In addition to these two teams, I have had the honor of being selected to the SOCAL Player Development Program (2021, 2022) and was selected for the final team in the Southern California Region (including Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and the Inland Empire).  I also was invited to participate in a Youth National Team Player ID Camp in Carson, CA.  

I am different from other recruits in character because I like to build my team up with encouragement and help them be the absolute best they can be. I love it when we tell each other what we can improve on and then work together to do it. I truly believe that soccer is a team sport and cannot be done with just one player doing all the work. I am also different from other players because if a coach is telling me what I can do better, I am going to do it - I am very coachable and look for feedback on how to improve. I am not the type of player who will just put my head down and feel like I'm not good enough, because part of the game is mental toughness. You have to have a positive mindset in order to succeed in anything, and soccer is no exception. 

I am also a multi- sport athlete. In middle school, I was a point guard on our school's basketball team that won the league championship. I also competed in cross country in middle school and took 4th place out of 200 girls in the 2 mile race.   As a sophomore in High School, I joined the Cross-Country Program and made the Varsity Team (top 8 runners).  On the Varsity Team, I ran in the regional meet and qualified for state.  I also placed 3rd in the Sophomore Division of the Dana Hills Invitational Cross Country Meet. 

I like to challenge myself in the classroom as well as on the soccer field.  I am currently taking 1 AP course and 3 honors courses and maintain a 4.2 weighted GPA; I never give up in the classroom either.  If I don't understand something, I ask for help and always appreciate feedback from my teachers.  My dream is to play forward or outside midfielder at a D1 NCAA soccer school - and I think I will be a successful athlete and positive addition to any team because of my strong character and commitment to always doing my best, both in the classroom and on the field.