By Amanda Maurer
Picture this: You are a sophomore in high school and already in contact with big schools such as Notre Dame, Brown, Claremont, Benedictine, and more! Well, Tempe Prep’s soccer star, Dahlia Welter, does not have to. Starting at a young age of just five years old, Dahlia started playing AYSO, American Youth Soccer Organization. Now, she plays soccer for Arizona Arsenal ECNL, Elite Clubs National League. Her love for soccer pushes her every day to be the best she can. Dahlia states, “I love that it is a team sport and I love the physical and tactical parts of the game. I also love the feeling I get from playing it.”
Getting up to the level she plays at today was not an easy task. Her whole life she has had to balance a crazy soccer schedule, school, and her personal life. But with hard work, her family, and coaches she is able to be as successful as she is. When asked who her biggest supporter and mentor is, she answered her dad. She goes on to say, “Both he and my mom have attended almost every single one of my games since I was 5. Throughout my years my Dad asks me before every practice and game, ‘Do you have to be the tallest? Strongest? Fastest?’ I say no. Then he asks ‘Do you have to work the hardest?’ The answer is yes. He has also filmed my highlights and put them together in a video so I can show coaches.”
Not only do her parents push her to be better every day, her coaches are also a huge part of her success. She says, “My coach right now brings a positive environment to the team. He tells us to play with passion. At the ECNL level he expects us to know the basics so he is there to help us see our potential and grow. His inspirational speeches and yelling definitely get us hyped up to play.” She goes on to talk about the Tempe Prep girls high school soccer coach, Megan Richardson, by saying, “Coach Megan is an excellent coach with a lot of talent. She encourages us to have fun and to support one another. She is so sweet and helps our team in many ways.”
With the hard work and dedication, Dahlia hopes to one day play professionally in Spain. And get this, she has already had a chance to play with a local club team while visiting Madrid, Spain! But for right now, she is focusing on playing in college. She is interested in playing at many different colleges. She states, “I am interested in all sorts of D1 schools like Notre Dame, and Stanford, however I am also interested in D2 and D3 schools like Point Loma Nazarene.” She has even been in contact with some of these schools but says, “There are several rules that dictate when NCAA schools can talk to students of a certain age.” But for now, she is emailing schools she is interested in playing at so they can keep her on their radar.
When asked about how she reaches out to these schools, she says “My club helps me get in contact with different coaches, but I have to be diligent about emailing certain coaches to introduce myself and tell them about me. I include what I like about their college and also a highlight video.” She continues on by saying, “It is important for me to find a school that not only has a great women’s soccer program but also is a good fit overall.” These college coaches are important to reach out to, especially before their big ECNL College Showcases. Dahlia says, “We are encouraged to directly email 10-20 coaches from schools we are interested in.” These coaches traditionally attend these college showcases, but due to Covid-19, they watched online streams of the games.
Because of these opportunities her club team provides her, she has already been offered a position to play at a university with a consistently strong women’s soccer program in the Midwest! She says, “I feel very excited to have been recruited at such an early phase and am excited to see more opportunities that might present themselves in the coming years.”
Playing this sport allows her to not only be an amazing athlete, but also a well-rounded person. She states, “Soccer is a part of your life that is balanced by family, church, school, etc. Getting into Notre Dame, etc. will require not just great soccer skills, but great grades, community involvement, and recommendations from people who know me. You want to continuously improve yourself and become a well-rounded individual. Soccer helps you be a great person both on and off the pitch.”