PrepSoccer Spotlight: Samantha Marella

The college athletic recruiting process can be messy and stressful and difficult. But some players take control and license of their recruitment and they own it and instead of letting it own them.   That is what [player_tooltip player_id='20138' first='Samantha' last='Marella'] did. She knew what she wanted, did not force it and let it come to her. She did what was best for her, and did not play high school soccer this past season, focusing on the recruiting process and on the process of getting better and more prepared for playing at the next level.   After garnering interest from many Division I programs, Marella recently committed to play at the University of Miami and new coach Ken Mashur played a big role in her decision.   "I was very excited to hear that Ken took the head coaching role at Miami and I am a big fan of his coaching style," Marella said. "On my visit to Miami, him and the rest of the staff showed me how passionate they are about building a winning program. I was able to see what they were wanting the program to become which encouraged me to join a team with trustworthy coaches and people."   Miami is also a very high-performing academic institution, it is aesthetically pleasing as a campus and the town of Coral Gables is a nice place to attend college. These reasons, in addition to the soccer piece, played a big role for Marella.   Marella has wanted to play Division I soccer since she was in middle school and has always been intrigued and interested in the Atlantic Coast Conference.   "It has always been a top conference in women's college soccer," Marella. "I am very fortunate and thankful to be surrounded by amazing coaches, teammates and family who have helped push me to achieve my goal of playing DI soccer in the ACC."   Marella is very fortunate in that she now gets to focus on being a high school student, a teenager and have fun in her last year of high school, committing as a junior and alleviating the extra stress that could come with ones senior year.   "Being committed early is definitely a nice feeling, but also the process is something I will never forget," Marella said. "It was amazing being able to meet so many different coaches, teams and people throughout this entire process. I think it is important to remember everyone's process is different and (committing) early can be at different times for different players."   Now Marella can get to work and do what it takes to be ready to play at the next level. She has the talent and ability, and now she is focused on training every day to prepare. She has built excellent strength over the past couple of years and will focus on continuing to do so. She is already excellent in using both feet, and will continue to hone that skill, making sure each foot can be used with strength and accuracy. She can also play with ball at her feet in the back line.   Marella is going to work hard to get ready for her college career. Does this mean that she will return to Viewpoint for her senior season, after not playing as a junior? The answer is Marella will do what is best for her.   "I have loved my experience playing high school soccer at Viewpoint," Marella said. "My teammates and coaches have been very supportive. I want to make sure that I continue to train and prepare at a high level going in to college so that will definitely take priority in my decision with what I end up doing next year."

The college athletic recruiting process can be messy and stressful and difficult. But some players take control and license of their recruitment and they own it and instead of letting it own them.