New NCAA rule impacts Gabrielle Herfindahl, many others

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The new NCAA scholarship rules, particularly with girls soccer, is having a ripple effect throughout the country as players are learning daily that their scholarship and their place on the roster is no longer available. Every day, parents are consoling their child after this news is broke to them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the players to get such a phone call is [player_tooltip player_id='23620' first='Gabrielle' last='Herfindahl'], a versatile defender from the class of 2025 in Nebraska. I <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2023/04/five-players-from-the-midwest-who-deserve-your-attention/">wrote </a>about Herfindahl last year, and if you watch her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41wwISgoNlg&amp;t=2s">film</a> you can see she is an excellent player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How she is looking for a new future home as she begins her senior year. She is now navigating the whole recruiting process again. Fortunately she approached it with a positive attitude, using social media once again and the support from the soccer community to lead to what seems to be positive developments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's been a little over two weeks and I've had over a dozen amazing phone calls, an official visit and have several more visits getting set up," Herfindahl said. "Of course I've had a lot of emails or texts back that they're done with their 2025 class and I've had some schools say they're pausing the 2025 and 2026 class until they get more direction from their conference or athletic director."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the fact that she got her offer pulled, that she's navigating this overwhelming process, handling a lot of pressure, she is still looking at the glass half full. The aforementioned support system has been incredibly helpful as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I feel really grateful that I've had a good amount of interest since I opened recruiting back up and I don't take any of that for granted," Herfindahl said. "It's hard not to feel more pressure this time around since the clock is ticking on my senior year, but I have a really good amount of support from my club coach, the director, and my clubs recruiting coordinator."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite having to start this process over she is not bitter, despite being impacted directly. She is not besmirching the school, she is respecting the school's request for privacy and protecting their reputation. Herfindahl even sees the bright side of the rule despite it effecting her greatly, but she also sees how the landscape is going to change.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's going to make college soccer a lot more competitive," Herfindahl said. "For the programs who already have over 28 players, those coaches are going to have to make tough decisions about how to manage their current roster along with the incoming classes of 2025 and 2026. I feel like a lot more players will end up in the transfer portal in the long run. I don't think this will only affect my class, but the 2026 class as well. I feel like recruits will need to take this into consideration when looking at schools and be more open minded about programs at various levels. There's a lot of amazing schools and soccer teams out there."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At some point, the school that pulled the offer might regret not having a player like Herfindahl, who is an exceptional outside defender who can play on either side, can play centrally and can play as a No. 6 as well. She is such a smart player with exceptional tactical awareness, who plays the game hard and physically. She is strong, both with her physical strength and with how competitive she is. She works hard and leads on the pitch. With Herfindahl you get a player who is exceptionally skilled as she can use either foot, she can possess, she can pass and break lines. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She works incredibly hard defensively, doing the dirty work and doing what it takes to prevent attacks. She continues to put in the work and has done weight, speed and agility training on her own time. She is still super motivated and will continue to train hard. What is absolutely amazing is how much in stride she is taking this situation and looking at it as a learning and growing opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I have always known that my dream was to play college soccer, so the countless hours of time on the field, dedicating time to train on my own, and the sacrifices I made to get recruited previously were worth it," Herfindahl said. "Of course it was disappointing to get the news that I would be looking for a new home, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I see this situation as something that I cannot control, so I remind myself to stay adaptable and do the things that I can control like working on my mental and physical game, emailing and calling coaches, and working on earning my associates degree as a senior. I see this as an opportunity to prove to myself and others just how much I'm capable of. My motivation comes not just from the desire to succeed, but from the passion I have for the game and the understanding that hard work is the foundation of any great achievement. I'm all in, and I'm ready to work even harder than before."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Herfindahl knows her ability as a player and knows she will pick herself up off the mat from this blow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I've faced a lot of adversity in life and it's taught me how to be mentally tough and resilient," Herfindahl said. "I try not to let outside factors bring me down because I turn my focus to the things that I can control."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->