Enya Niebergall '24 Recruiting Profile

Growing up, I was one of those kids that played just about every sport under the sun because I loved to compete. I was involved in everything from basketball to gymnastics and what eventually stuck was volleyball and soccer. I played club volleyball (both beach and indoor) up until 8th grade where I stopped so I could focus solely on soccer at it was the sport that I couldn’t imagine my life without. Ever since I started playing soccer when I was four years old, and moving up from rec to club to Washington Premier, I knew that it’s what I wanted to pursue.

Since then, I have put in an immense amount of work to play at the collegiate level, including private trainings with JRS Soccer, TOCA, and tons of time spent training on my own outside of practice. I’ve also tried to surround myself with other opportunities that have given me more perspective on the game, such as coaching younger kids for the Tacoma Soccer Center and 253 Soccer as well as being a referee. 

At the college level, I’m looking for a competitive, intense program that strives for excellence but also encourages growth. This is a big part of my personality where I love putting myself in uncomfortable situations and seeing the hard work eventually pay off in the form of improvement. I often will take the more challenging road (sometimes to my own detriment), but will put my heart and soul into something if it is important to me and refuse to give up. This is shown not only on the soccer field, but in outside things I’m involved in. For school, I have taken many honors/AP classes and maintained mostly straight A’s. I also am heavily involved in orchestra and I’ve played the violin for almost 9 years, taking private lessons for 5, competing in the regional competition 3 times, and being in the honors orchestra every year.

I recognize, though, that life isn’t entirely about soccer and so in college I’m looking to find a supportive family similar to the community I have at home. Through this, I’ve seen the power of outreach and connection within a community, especially with the Women and Girls in Sports/Viking Vision (leaders in sports) clubs I’m involved in at school and the work I do through my church. I’m looking for a school that seeks to connect and presents many opportunities to learn and grow in what I plan to study, which is environmental studies (maybe to go into law one day) or exercise science/kinesiology.

I’m looking forward to this next next phase in life and to take my education and soccer to the next level!