Ava Burnside '28 Recruiting Profile

My name is Ava Burnside. I am 15 years old and am the starting attacking midfielder and right winger for my Gwinnett Soccer Academy 2010 ECNL team.  Our team finished first in our Southeast Conference in the 2023-2024 season, made the Elite 16 at ECNL Playoffs in Seattle, and then went on to the Elite 8 at ECNL Nationals in Virginia, just falling short to the top ECNL team in the United States 1-2. We clinched the number 1 spot in our Southeast conference again for the 2024-2025 season. I played varsity soccer this past year as a freshman at Starr’s Mill High School, being named First team All Region and Second Team All State. I have been invited to four USYNT ID Sessions, and have been named to the Olympic Development Program Regional Team to represent the South for four years. I also represented our country in Costa Rica for the ODP 2010 National Team in March of 2025. There I was named Captain and chosen MVP for the last game.  I have played soccer for 11 years and have been invited to compete and train in Barcelona, to compete at the Donosti Cup in San Sebastian, to compete and train in sessions at Tottenham and Manchester City, and have represented the United States for ODP in Greece and Costa Rica. I also competed at the MIC in Costa Brava, Spain where I was named one of Best 11 by the tournament scouts. I will be competing as one of 120 top ECNL players at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center for the ECNL Conference Cup in August 2025.  I have a very high soccer IQ and am able to move through small spaces with creative and shifty movements. I can score with both left and right foot, and can cross and deliver through balls for a high amount of assists.  I am a team player, motivated, competitive, encouraging and communicative. I am ranked in Top Drawer soccer as the number 10 all-around player in the South Atlantic region. I am also ranked as the number 44 midfielder in all of the United States as well as number 118th all-around player in the top 150 of the United States. I currently have a GPA of 3.5 and put a lot of emphasis on my education in addition to my soccer training. I am looking for a University that is strong in soccer and education, with a desire to pursue a degree in Healthcare and Entrepreneurship.