Adelaide Thomas '20 Recruiting Profile

Soccer has always been the one thing I have been sure of. Since I was young I dreamed of being like Abby Wambach, one of my heroes. She is the inspiration for the #20 on my back, and I wear it proudly. Watching Wambach sparked a further interest in soccer and only motivated me to push myself closer to my goal of playing collegiate soccer. When I reached the age where I could finally play, I practically ran to my dad and asked if he would coach me. I felt connected to soccer and couldn't stray away from the idea of playing. Since beginning my soccer career at a young age, I have found nobody can keep me from the field. To this day, I still get yelled at for playing with the ball inside the house. 

I remember asking my dad to coach my first soccer team when I was 5. Playing on my first team, The Mighty Orange Dinosaurs, I knew I loved the game. It's almost bittersweet when your dad is the coach for the first part of your soccer career. He wasn't just my coach, but also, a soccer dad; however, he still won't hesitate to give his criticism. It's essential to have a close relationship, where he's honest about my quality of play and doesn't fill my head with hot air.  I would expect that of any coach. I love brutal honesty; tell me exactly what I need to do, and I'll do it.   

Being on multiple teams at once has taught me how to manage my time and understand how to keep balance in my life. I've played on my school's volleyball and soccer teams, as well as a club soccer team, since 6th grade. This means I've dealt with long days where I don't get home till 11 pm and have an essay due the next morning. I enjoy my current schedule where I spend, on average, 9 hours at school. I have never found comfort in having a schedule that allows for long rest periods and leaves me with nothing on my plate. I am eager to tackle long days with heavy workloads. 

Soccer has helped me push myself mentally and physically to reach my full potential. It not only has influenced me on the field, but off the field. I aspire to not only be a successful player, but a well-rounded person. I've learned to accept criticism with grace, adapt to various coaching styles, improve my skillset through extra training sessions and camps, and demand more of myself each time I step onto the field. I've learned to be more self-confident and grow mentally throughout my years of playing soccer. I've learned humility and humbleness on how to be a good sport. I realized from a young age that no game should be at the cost of your morals. No bad play or unfair call should take you out of your character.   

I've learned lessons on the field that can be applied in my everyday life. On and off the field my peers say I maintain a positive attitude. Even when things don't have the best outcome, I never feed into the anger of a bad call or the emotional side of play. I believe that's one of the most important parts of the game; not letting your emotions be the roadblock to achieve greatness. 

Eleven years ago, I fell in love with soccer on a soccer field close to my home in Woodbridge, Virginia. With my dad as my coach, I saw the stars in his eyes and only sought out success from that point on. I am a hardworking spirit and I aspire to play at the collegiate level, and let it shape and sculpt me, to fulfill my highest potential. I plan to achieve my goals and put in all my efforts to see that my dream comes true.