Soccer Girls Are Built Different

Soccer Girls Are Built Different
To my daughter and some of the toughest athletes I know.

Today, thousands of girls across the country step onto their college soccer fields for the first official practice of the season.

This is for them.

But it’s also for the ones back home who want to be them one day. The ones training in the shadows—juggling high school tryouts, recruiting emails, and early-morning sessions no one sees. And it’s also for the little girls in oversized jerseys, racing to the ball with untied laces and giggles. They have no idea yet how much it will ask of them—or how much it will give.

And this is for the parents of these brave girls, too.
The ones who hold their breath every time their daughter goes in for a tackle or fearlessly throws herself into a 50/50 ball.
Who’ve watched her come back from sprains, tears, concussions—and still play without hesitation… and sometimes with it.
Who’ve been there through every stride and setback—who know the story, the pain, and the work behind each scar.
Who cheer loud, knowing what the game demands—and love her enough to let her keep choosing it.
Because this game asks a lot.
And only those who’ve loved someone through it truly understand.

Because after watching my daughter play and compete for the past 14 years, I can tell you—
Soccer girls are built differently because the sport they play is different.

It’s nonstop motion. Full-speed collisions. Sharp cuts on unforgiving ground.
No pads. No helmets. No protection.
No timeouts. Just 90 minutes of grind—again and again and again.

And that’s just the game.
The training can be even more grueling and never-ending…

My daughter runs on vacations. Long runs, short runs, tempo runs. She texts her strength coach from Grandma’s house to ask how to tweak her workouts. She squeezes in bodyweight circuits on hotel floors, races the sunset on empty roads, and does band work in the living room. She trains for power, for speed, for endurance—for whatever the game will ask of her next. She stretches while everyone else is still asleep. She foam rolls while watching her favorite shows. There is no true offseason—just slower weeks to get ready for the hard ones. She doesn’t complain. She trains because the game asks her to. And because it’s part of who she is now. The routine, the discipline, the grind. 

She does all of that—because when the game starts, it demands everything, no matter what it took to be ready.
No water or pads to soften the landings and collisions like in other sports. Just cleats, shin guards, and bodies flying.
It’s violent in a way few acknowledge or few other sports can match.
Bruises cover their bodies.
Blisters bloom on top of blisters.
You ever seen a soccer girl’s feet?
Toenails gone. Skin shredded. Cleat toe is real. And they just keep playing.

They play in 103 degrees.
They play in sideways rain and in wind that knocks you off your stance.
They play on fields frozen solid, skin so sensitive from the cold, even the air feels like sandpaper.
They play through heat so intense it melts turf into softness under their studs.
Only lightning can stop a game—and even then, only temporarily.

And still, they keep showing up.

No fancy hairstyles with oversized bows.
No fun walk-up songs blaring their name.
No choreographed cheers from their teammates on the sideline.
Just quiet focus. Loose buns and ponies. 

And the competition? It’s endless.
There are so many girls playing this game—and only so many spots at each level.
The funnel gets tighter.
The pressure gets heavier.
And somehow, they keep showing up. They keep coming back.

So this one is to the girls icing their knees, ankles, and heads on the way home from games.
The ones sprinting alone on the beach in July.
The ones training while their friends are at the pool.
The ones who’ve been told they’re not fast enough, or skilled enough—but keep showing up.
The ones battling injury, doubt, and pressure—we see you.

We love you. We are in awe of you.
And we’ll be cheering—this weekend and every one after—for as long as you keep choosing this game.

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For more like this and support along your youth sports journey, visit Ilovetowatchyouplay.com and on Instagram @theilovetowatchyouplay