My name is Sophia Aragon, and I am entering my fourth and final year with the Arkansas soccer team. I am a true senior, meaning I have no redshirts, medical redshirts or an extra COVID year.
Growing up in San Diego, Calif., one of the most prominent soccer hotspots in the nation, taught me a lot that I have carried into the Arkansas soccer program. I put on my first pair of soccer cleats when I was just 3 years old and from that moment, I was hooked. At 8, I joined my first competitive soccer league and went on to play for some of the nation’s best clubs, including San Diego Surf ECNL and SoCal Blues ECNL.
Thankfully, my parents supported me in every way possible. They drove me an hour and a half to Irvine at least three times a week to practice with my club team, not including the weekend drives there every Saturday and Sunday for games.
This daily routine fed directly into my early commitment to the University of Arkansas as a junior in high school. My foundation, experience and dedication to the West Coast soccer lifestyle further smoothed my transition to Division I SEC play. By my count, 33 of 35 players from my club team have played collegiate soccer – 31 of those at the Division I level.
Elite Preparation for Arkansas Soccer
These are the kind of ultra-competitive environments that not only produce future Razorbacks like myself, but also future Olympic soccer standouts. Indeed, as I’ll discuss more below, I regularly scrimmaged with and against Trinity Rodman, the U.S. national team starter.
The rigors of elite youth soccer prepare us for life at the high-major Division I level and beyond. When my fellow Arkansas soccer teammates and I reminisce about our “club days,” we share a similar story of long drives, constant practices, endless tournaments and sometimes even crossing state lines for weekly practices. The parties, sleepovers, family reunions, family vacations and school dances I missed over the years due to soccer are too numerous to count.
Soccer also became a year-round sport, so I couldn’t experiment with volleyball, water polo or the surf team like my siblings and friends. I also missed a lot of school while traveling for college showcases and tournaments out of state. I always stayed after class and asked my teachers for extensions or homework assignments early to keep up and have good grades. It was hard, but it was the reality of what I signed up for.
My non-soccer friends never really understood, but I spent most of my time with an entire soccer team of girls who did. They experienced the same things, and that helped cushion the blow. We knew it would be worth it in the end, and it was. We won national championships, had long undefeated streaks together and committed to great colleges.
It’s a small world when it comes to elite soccer, and the bonds we forge on the field playing with and against each other as teenagers can last for decades. Now, as the world’s attention shifts to the Olympic finals in women’s soccer between the United States and Brazil on Saturday, my Arkansas soccer teammates and I see a lot of familiar faces on the field representing the red, white and blue.
Ties Between Razorbacks and US Olympic Soccer Team
Indeed, many of the Razorback girls can confidently say that a former teammate, club member, training partner, competitor or even friend is playing on the USA women’s Olympic team.
Forward Trinity Rodman and I played for the same club, the SoCal Blues, and even shared the same coach in Greg Baker. Although she was on the older team, we scrimmaged against one another every week before I eventually switched clubs and began playing with her.
From a young age, Rodman – whose father is Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman – always stood out thanks to her speed, skills and powerhouse shot from anywhere. She was definitely one you wanted on your team and not on the other side.
It’s awesome to see the 22-year-old Rodman helping lead the Olympic soccer team nowadays, racking up three goals in the Americans’ first four matches, including this game-winner vs Japan in the quarterfinals:
Throughout my Razorback career, I have also played against Korbin Albert when she played for Notre Dame and Croix Bethune when she played for Georgia.
Some of my Arkansas soccer teammates have trained with these Olympians. Ella Rogers trained with fellow Ohio native Rose Lavelle a few winters ago and said Lavelle can dribble out of practically anything.
Macy Schlutz said she not only attended national camps with midfielders Croix Bethune and Jenna Nighwonger, but practically grew up playing with fellow Colorado native Sophia Smith almost her entire life.
“Soph was always training, working to get better,” Schultz told me. “The training is reflected in how she plays; it looks like muscle memory. Also, she wasn’t ever there to make friends. She was there to get better.”
All that extra time sure is paying off now. Smith scored this beauty of a game-winner against Germany in the semifinals off a deft through ball from Mallory Swanson:
Other Razorbacks like Avery Wren, Kelsey Oyler and Lily Boydstun played with the same youth clubs as some of our Olympians. Due to the immense amount of time they spent at the same facility, some of them grew quite close. As I see it, we are all like branches from the same tree, rooted in what we love the most: soccer.
(READ NEXT: Another Olympian might help Pittman land a 5-star recruit)
Soccer Unites Us All
These 2024 Olympics remind me of how intertwined our soccer journeys are. The sacrifices made, paths chosen and unwavering dedication we have shown have all been fueled by a passion and love for the game.
The tightly-knit world of soccer has created friendships and rivalries that go beyond state lines and competition levels. Although we often played in different colored jerseys in college, we now unite and proudly support one another as some represent the red, white and blue.
The shared dedication, support systems and habits that allow us to reach playing for the University of Arkansas and other elite college programs are woven through every part of our being. As we cheer our country and the Olympians representing it, I am thankful for this beautiful sport that has changed our lives for the better.
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