Julia Kawa '22 Recruiting Profile

At a young age I fell in love with the game. I started playing soccer at the park district. since I was four years old. The following season I began my competitive club career. I started at a tiny club called Wheeling Soccer United. I have played with that team from 2013 to 2015. During those years, I played on a coed team as well as an all girls club called Jahbat Fc. In the summer of 2015, my Wheeling Team traveled to Minnesota to play in the Shuaben Cup. We were runner up in our age group. We also won multiple tournaments during both the indoor and outdoor season. When I played with Jahbat Fc., we also won many tournaments. One of the tournaments that we hosted, we won second place. From the spring of 2016 to the fall of 2018, I went on to play with the Vernon Hills United team. We played in the open division with girls that were older and stronger, but we didn't let the competition or the age of the other girls mess with our mentality. We won multiple tournaments that we hosted and won multiple games where we were the underdogs. Unfortunately, our last game together was during a soccer tournament over the summer because the club was going to combine Lake Forest and Vernon Hills as one. When I found out I was devastated and it was too late to tryout for any other clubs. As a result, I took the season off but was always working to improve. I spent my so-called “days off" working on my fitness, playing pick up at the park and working on my mental strength. I also decided to become a student athletic trainer at school, and this year marks my second year volunteering. During my freshman year, I was a varsity captain and led the team to victory on multiple occasions. During a Round Lake tournament I helped my team get the leading goal to become champions. This was a huge deal because for over ten years my high school girls team has never won a tournament. I believe that my team is successful because we have the talent, but we also have the effort, dedication and commitment that we always put 110% of in every game we play. I always put my teammates first and I am hardly ever selfish (if I have an open shot or I know I can beat my defender instead of pass, I take that). I always put my team first and I always respect my teammates and coaches. If I ever get the wonderful opportunity of becoming a part of your team, I am going to give 110% of myself and will make sure to constantly work on myself and the team. I am looking forward to becoming a part of something more than a college soccer team, I’m looking for a family.