Rebecca D’Anna, a sophomore at Westford Academy, committed to the University of Rhode Island and will be playing division 1 girls’ soccer, a goal she has had most of her life.

As a member of the WA Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team the past two years of high school, as well as playing for the club team FC Stars, D’Anna has been looking to be recruited as a sophomore by many colleges, such as the Virginia Military Institute, Purdue University and Coastal Carolina University.

“URI has been a school that I have wanted to go to ever since I was little (…) I really like the campus and the coach is really nice,” D’Anna said.

Being recruited so young can be a taxing process.

“It was stressful having to make a decision so early but now that I made it, I am really excited,” D’Anna explained.

D’Anna also explained how committing to college this young is not as unusual as people may think.

“It [the recruitment of girls’ soccer] is becoming much more prevalent now at the higher level,” she said.

D’Anna got exposure to the colleges when she did showcases with her club team, FC Stars.

“I think I got recruited because of my club team,” D’Anna said.

However, D’Anna remarked on how WAGS (WA Girls’ Soccer) helped her in her soccer career.

“Playing with friends helped me not take everything so seriously,” she said.

However, due to a back injury she got at tryouts in her freshman year, she was unable to play a lot for the high school team. She remained on varsity throughout the last two years, however she has been focusing on her performance on her club team.

“Even though she couldn’t play because of her injury, she was really supportive to everyone on the team. She was very encouraging and was a great teammate this fall for my first season with WAGS,” said freshman Caroline Sawrey and D’Anna’s teammate.

Junior Rose Awada, a captain and teammate of D’Anna said, “Even though she’s been injured the last couple of seasons, I know she is going to be a huge asset next fall.”

Regardless of her injury, D’Anna is constantly recognized for her positive attitude and commitment to the team.

“Rebecca is dedicated and committed to WAGS and supports her teammates day in and day out despite being injured for the past two seasons. She maintains a positive attitude and contributes to the team in other ways,” said WA’s varsity girls’ soccer head coach Tracy Capone.

Other than being recruited, D’Anna’s proudest moment within soccer has been going to the semi-finals of nationals for her club team.

In addition to that, D’Anna reflected on how soccer has affected her in all aspects of her life and what she has learned from soccer. “I have a lot of determination (…) I would go outside and play with the ball for two hours a day (…) My dad even put turf in my basement so I could practice all the time,” she explained.

Along with being a strong player on the field, D’Anna also greatly inspires her teammates.

“Rebecca is one of those players that always inspires others to be better. She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met, and if anyone deserves to be playing in college, it’s her,” Awada said.