Ava Milisits '24 Recruiting Profile

“Take the ball, pass the ball…” –Pep Guardiola, 2009, then Manager of F.C Barcelona, current Manager of Manchester City F.C, the best team in the World by far

When I was two years with a football at my feet and making my first pass, I started my journey of loving soccer and realized what I wanted to do with my life and free time. I enjoyed watching La Liga on Telemundo in Spanish or watching Manchester City F.C (the club my family has been supporting for over twenty years) with the then young Vincent Kompany on my dad’s laptop or watching Fox Soccer Channel. I would walk around the house aimlessly as a young girl with a blanket over my head, passing the ball anywhere and everywhere. I remember that I even broke the fireplace twice when I was little because shooting at it with my size three soccer ball. My parents didn’t seem to care and were simply happy I enjoyed something so much. I eventually learned there is more to “the beautiful game” than just passing.

Flash forward to 2008 and 2009. During the Fall and Spring, my parents signed me up to attend SAM Soccer Plex Pre-Kickers and Kickers. My Mom and Dad would bring me to practice, and I took it extremely seriously even at that age. I was always excited and still am when it comes to learning something new. By the time I was 3 ½, I was extremely tired of toddlers who use their toes when kicking the ball, did not work on their own, complained about being tired of the heat, cried or screamed. One day, I told my dad as a toddler, “I am tired of playing Duck-Duck Goose. I want to play a real game, not toddler games. I want to play real soccer.” This was the definition of a 3 ½ stuck in an adult’s body. While others sometimes had a midlife crisis, I was dealing with a toddler crisis!

By the time I was four, my dad signed me up at the Maryland Soccer Plex, which is walking distance from where I live, to play scrimmages. Although I enjoyed it, I complained about the coaching and how they still told me to use my toe. Eventually when I was six, I told my Dad I was done not playing like what we watched on T.V.! I wanted to play like the Europeans greats in an Ajax style and be free to learn and try new things, looking up to players like Marta. My Dad, who was a soccer coach, formed his own team when I was six years old, and I played in SAM Soccer Recreational.

Every practice and every game were so exciting, especially at that age when you are playing 9v9, where children huddle over the ball like an amoeba. The first Fall season, my team lost all our games except two. However, the following season in the Spring, we won all our games except two.

And I never looked back…

Now, I know what you’re thinking; “He is such as Soccer Dad!” He is the complete opposite and encouraged me to expand my interest in other sports and hobbies throughout elementary and middle school, including many clubs involving computer science and student leadership. Along the way, I even earned All-American status in track with the USATF & AAU individually in the 1500M and Gold 4x400M relay. However, I soon realized that you must make sacrifices for the one thing you absolutely love. And the one thing I absolutely love is soccer.

I used to believe that I didn’t have a place in this sport because not many of the players look like me in this country. When I would list my favorite players from the USWNT, some people would look at me like I was from another planet because all my favorite players looked like me. However, I don’t just look up to people like Crystal Dunn, Sydney Leroux, Shannon Box, Brianna Scurry, Lynn Williams, Midge Purce, Sophia Smith, Catarina Macario, and Christen Press just because they are Black; I look up to them because besides being great players, they are good role models. Now, I have really gained the self-confidence a to reach the next level of my game. I thank God that I discovered this amazing sport and continue to expand my horizons, working on my own each day. My goal of playing collegiate soccer at the Division One level and playing oversees in Europe is not a yearlong process. It is a mentality that I will continue to harness throughout my life in everything that I do.