Diana Isabelle Gracia '20 Recruiting Profile

I am very passionate about soccer.  I have played soccer since the age of 5, competitive soccer since age 8, and have loved the game since my first kick.  Throughout my life, I have spent much effort and dedicated a lot of time into the sport in order to thrive in my position. This has included countless individual training sessions with a goalkeeper coach as well as many hours of self-directed practice, training and conditioning, outside of the regular team practices.  

I am below average height, especially as compared to other girls playing the goalkeeper position.  Having played for different soccer clubs and coaches I often had to overcome that initial dismissive assessment of my ability based solely on my height.  Because of this I have dedicated many hours beyond the normal training and practice to improve my skills and understanding of the game so that when given the opportunity I can demonstrate how well I can play and how much I love the game.

In addition, I have made improving/maintaining my foot skills a goal.  I have spent many additional hours on foot skill drills and ball control, and have always been able to out-juggle any player on my teams both past and present.  I can juggle more than 1500 unbroken touches in one go (120 with a tennis ball).

I continue to play soccer and am currently enjoying a successful season with my high school team.