Nine of 10 players from the ECNL’s graduating class will play college soccer, the league announced on Wednesday, which is national signing day for NCAA sports.
The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), a nationwide league that is considered the highest level of girls youth soccer in the United States, says that almost 90 percent of its Class of 2015 will play college soccer. Of the 1,357 graduating high school seniors, 1,203 will go on to play college soccer this fall, with 920 in NCAA Division I programs.
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“The unprecedented number of female athletes from the ECNL who are going on to play collegiate soccer, including 80 percent committing to Division 1 programs today, speaks to the level of play and the personal achievement of all of the players and teams across the league,” said ECNL commissioner Sarah Kate Noftsinger. “Just as importantly, the fact that nearly all of the ECNL’s graduates are pursuing higher education is evidence that ECNL athletes are complete athletes, balancing the rigors of top level play with the demands of academic achievement.”
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The ECNL, which began in 2009, says the 2014 NCAA Women’s College Cup featured 66 players with ECNL experience, representing 90 percent of Final Four rosters.
College and youth soccer site Top Drawer Soccer has live updates of all the commitments here.
Wednesday is also National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
