Are college rosters always so low with in-State players?

[cajunfit]

I ran the current numbers based on active rosters on all Public Universities in LA, and they don't look too hot.  Before breaking them down, the big stat here is that Louisiana women hold 47 of the 286 (16%) roster spots included in 11 Public Universities with women's soccer programs:

Nicholls:  9/26
LSUA:  9/33
LSU: 6/25
Southern: 4/22
LA Tech: 5/33
UL Lafayette: 4/30
Southeastern: 3/25
Northwestern: 3/30
Grambling: 2/11? That is all they show on roster
McNeese: 1/25
UL Monroe: 1/26


Remember that these rosters make up at least four graduating classes.  So is there some reason that so many spots are given to out of State players?  Is it really a lack of skill?  I would think not, but maybe i am really missing the picture.  Texas is hard to compare to LA, and I know many of their rosters have high # of Texas players.  It just seems sort of backwards.

And yes I know that we have quite a few young ladies playing out of State by choice.

[loJic]

I'd like to see the number of out of state players as well.

Great question, my guess is we don't have the talent to produce competitive DI teams. College soccer focuses on winning the most and they recruit to do so.

[usfgk]

Just look at the men's roster at LSU-A. No Louisiana players and almost all non US. Why would anybody support their program?

I look at my son's team in Colorado and more than half of their roster is home grown Colorado players. This is the case for most of the teams in the RMAC. This should be the case for Louisiana schools as well.

[cajunfit]

That is how I feel too. Admittedly, there are some circumstances we don't see but when I sit with my daughter to plan what college ID camps for her to attend, and show extra interest, it does not make me feel warm and fuzzy to see a roster with such little State inclusion. And I don't believe we do not have enough talented girls to contribute successfully. I do agree that we do not have enough quality players to sustain a lot of University rosters, but I was expecting more of them to end up with Nicholls State percentages, which is a program that deserves praise as a D1 program. There are quite a few players that are playing out of State. I am sure the reasons are many, but it makes you wonder how many of them would have stayed in State if they had received good offers. After all, out of State tuition is pretty fricking expensive, and you lose TOPS potential, and may end up spending more on housing costs too.

McNeese, ULM, and Northwestern are three big programs with low inclusion though, and that is disappointing. McNeese does have a new coach (so does Nicholls btw), so maybe they will add more.

[cosmos]

It really just depends on the state.

There are some states with an abundance of elite club players. In those states, the majority of Division I women's college players on team rosters are usually from in-state.

Things are even more comptetive in men's Division I college soccer.

[Patriot fan]

It's strictly a coaches decision who he recruits for his program. His or her future depends upon the success of their respective programs.

Bottom line: Choosing or selecting a institution should be for their players education and coach's compatibility and monetary awards or cost to attend.

If a player desires to play soccer at a higher level after high school there is a place somewhere for that player, guaranteed.

[laffysoccermom]

I'm not an expert but I remember noting that a lot of the US ones were regional ODP or played on ECNL teams. Louisiana has typically not placed many players on the regional ODP teams and we have no ECNL teams although there are Louisiana players that play for some. Not saying we don't have some players that have that level of talent but the coach may chose those as criteria when they recruit.

[rlb2024]

Of the three men's soccer programs in Louisiana colleges (none of which are D1) it shapes up like this:

Louisiana College -- 9/17
Centenary College -- 7/26 (17 players are from Texas -- makes sense with close proximity to Shreveport)
LSU/A -- 0/29 (28 are foreign players)

That adds up to 16/72, or 22 percent.

Makes it hard to build up interest when there are so few options locally.  Last year's Mandeville Lakers U18 team has six players that are playing in college as freshmen this fall, either varsity or JV -- three in Mobile (Spring Hill), two in Memphis (Christian Brothers and Rhodes), and one in Massachusetts (Springfield College).

[kevin]

With all due respect, many of the universities mentioned aren't great academic schools. And I know many good soccer players who are also excellent students. If they want soccer and a school with a good academic reputation, they may have to go out of state. Or they may just pass up college soccer entirely. One student I know certainly could've played college soccer at some level, but got a full academic scholarship to Tulane. In the years I've taught high school in the NOLA area, most students who stay in state go to LSU, UNO, ULL, and Southeastern.

It doesn't help that schools such as Tulane and Loyola still don't have women's teams, let alone men's teams.

[soccermom17]

I agree with Kevin. I currently have a senior who would not consider playing D1 because she wants to go to college for school not primarily to play soccer. Most people who go to college to play D1 soccer are not prepared for the commitment that is required. Soccer is their job. In my daughter's case soccer is her secondary pursuit so she is only considering D3 schools. She will get an academic scholarship and some sort of concession in room and board depending on which school she decides to choose. She is considering two in Louisiana, one in Mississippi and one in Arkansas. Out of her current high school class which is a large private school, she is the only one that wants to play soccer in college.

Also some of D1 schools do not want to give a soccer scholarship away to an in-state student because of the TOPS scholarship program. A few years ago we had our local university pull something where they had 4-5 club girls that verbally committed to the college locally and then were told that they would not get any soccer money due to TOPS so they all went elsewhere. I think only one walked on to the team.

[cajunfit]

Kevin, I know there are exceptions surely, but there are tons of articles now showing that in most cases it does not matter where you get your degree, as long as you can get a degree in the field of study you are pursuing. This can be significant financially to the people that are not on full rides, but think they need to put their kids through expensive universities, racking up a metric crap ton of loan debt. time.com/54342/it-doesnt-matter-where-you-go-to-college/

You and soccermom give very valid reasons why we lose some players, and it does not help that 10 of our 14 women's soccer programs are at D1 schools, because there are not many opportunities for those players that want to play in LA, but don't want the D1 commitment.

[kevin]

Oct 6, 2016 17:14:50 GMT -6 cajunfit said:

Kevin, I know there are exceptions surely, but there are tons of articles now showing that in most cases it does not matter where you get your degree, as long as you can get a degree in the field of study you are pursuing. This can be significant financially to the people that are not on full rides, but think they need to put their kids through expensive universities, racking up a metric crap ton of loan debt. time.com/54342/it-doesnt-matter-where-you-go-to-college/

Generally speaking, I agree. It's absurd to me how many students rack up massive amounts of debt because they only consider big-name or prestigious schools. I know plenty of people who have gotten good educations for a low cost at many different universities across Louisiana.

That said, some of the schools simply aren't likely to be viable options for many students. LSU-Alexandria is very small and has very few majors available. And most white students aren't going to consider HBCUs such as Grambling and Southern.

And as you mentioned, a D1 sport is a massive time commitment. If a student can get a good financial aid and scholarship package without soccer at a good out-of-state university, why pass that up to play soccer in state? I think you raise a good point about the lack of non-D1 options. And of course, it's even worse on the boys' side--I know there have been many conversations on this board about how many great high school players have gone to LSU and who probably would've loved a chance to play D1 soccer there.

[cajunfit]

Yes those are my thoughts too. My daughter wants to play, but she is realistic and does not see soccer as trumping her pursuit of a degree. We are going to try in-State colleges first, but if a good offer arises out of State, that may be the choice. Of course, it would take a good offer to skip in-State tuition and TOPS. Out of State tuition can be "slap yourself" expensive unless you get a big scholarship. That was the main reason I ran the numbers originally. I was just really disappointed to see such low representation from our young ladies.

Thanks to all for the input

[LACollegeSoccer]

A couple of thoughts on this:

I think the reason we see less LA players on the rosters of D1 programs in-state is due to a couple of things - the talent pool is much larger in states like Texas. Two, the kids in LA aren't often ready for the commitment of the big D1 program. Even if they think they are, due to the poor soccer environment in the south, they have no real understanding of what it takes to be a D1 soccer player (time commitment, training levels, etc). Many schools are looking at ECNL kids because they are well prepped for the D1 intensity. However, we do have great players in this state and I think you would see more inclusion if minds were opened up to the other options available.

Many D3, NAIA, D2 schools could beat D1 programs. However, many kids rule out these smaller schools or private schools because they assume they don't have scholarships available. In fact, they pay off between the quality of the education and small class size, makes cost extremely reasonable at the private LA colleges, especially for those who are heading into a medical or law profession.

I noticed Centenary and Louisiana College were not included in the list earlier for women. Centenary have 10 LA kids and Louisiana College have 15 LA kids on their rosters. These programs have both had trying times in the past and are trying to rebuild into competitive teams by recruiting the in-state kids that D1 programs aren't recruiting (very much like the Nicholls State of old did - look at them now!). However, when most of these girls are not recruited by D1 schools, they shun the interest of both these programs, without realising it is a great opportunity to be successful both on and off the field.

Long story short, if girls in Louisiana want to play college soccer, there is a spot for them in this state. They just need to contact each school, at each level. Also, do they want to ride the bench at in-state, D1 programs? Do they want to go out of state and lose TOPS? Do they want to stay in state, keep TOPS, and PLAY? If the school where they want to play is the cheapest, then great, but sometimes cost has to have a little bit of give if the return is a great education and great soccer experience.

Sorry for the rambling - I could go for days.

[soccercoachbruce]

I had to weigh in on this topic. I am now a coach at a university in Missouri, used to be a college coach and a high school coach in Louisiana, with a number of years of club and ODP in there as well. I am excited to say that about 60% of my roster is made up of in-state kids (Missouri) but equally as excited to say, that I have 5 young ladies on my roster from Louisiana, with hopes of having a few more in the years to come.  At the end of the day, the school choice for a student-athlete really relies on a number of factors.  And fortunately, when all those factors fit for someone, that will typically be their school of choice.    

[SoccerMom123]

I am speaking soley as a mom with a daughter who plays for LSU. My daughter transferred from another D1 college last year. To me it seems like LSU has a very high number of in-state players given what we encountered at my daughter's previous college. Like previous posters I think the equation is much more complex than a player growing up playing soccer in a given geography and then playing for their local D1 college.

This could work out very well for some players, but sometimes it doesn't. Case in point, my daughter who ended up transferring after being highly recruited, choosing an in-state program, playing for the college's coaching staff in ODP and then having the coaching staff get fired a few months prior to her arrival at the college. At the end of the day it is most important that your player feels like a part of the team and is able to get the degree that they most want to obtain. LSU soccer may not be the best soccer program out there but my daughter's experience has been simply amazing and she is very happy and feels like an important asset to the team. As a mom I am very happy that she is happy!! Good luck to you and your daughters as you work out the best fit going forward.

[alto1smom]

I'm posting with reluctance and is not meant to offend anyone, but Louisiana soccer talent is weak. Most girls are not being recruited because they simply are not good enough. I would love to see more locals play at LSU and LSU has athletes that play for them that would not play or roster for that fact with most schools in the SEC. Most of the local ladies will get minimal minutes or not see the field at all in many games which is not saying much for a mediocre team. I still attend many high school games because I love the sport and the girls, but we are behind the mark. I see what "We" think is great talent and bite my lips because it's no where near good. That's simply the truth. I can count superior talent on 1 hand that has come out of this state in the last decade. If players are that talented and want to attend a "BETTER" academic institution, they would get offers-Notre Dame, Stanford, the Ivys all have programs.

There is a place for anyone who wants to play, but it is not D1 in most cases no matter how sad the program is for our LA girls. The problem is not the athletes because some of the girls in a different setting would be great, it's our programming here.

Soccer dummed down in New Orleans the second the clubs merged and there was no competition. Fewer state cups and far less quality because there are no options for folks. It's like school, either we teach skills; intellectual strategy; and technique to individual's level or hold a practice where it's one size fits all. We do the later.

[alto1smom]

Sept 30, 2016 13:30:02 GMT -6 cajunfit said:

I ran the current numbers based on active rosters on all Public Universities in LA, and they don't look too hot.  Before breaking them down, the big stat here is that Louisiana women hold 47 of the 286 (16%) roster spots included in 11 Public Universities with women's soccer programs:

Nicholls:  9/26
LSUA:  9/33
LSU: 6/25
Southern: 4/22
LA Tech: 5/33
UL Lafayette: 4/30
Southeastern: 3/25
Northwestern: 3/30
Grambling: 2/11? That is all they show on roster
McNeese: 1/25
UL Monroe: 1/26


Remember that these rosters make up at least four graduating classes.  So is there some reason that so many spots are given to out of State players?  Is it really a lack of skill?  I would think not, but maybe i am really missing the picture.  Texas is hard to compare to LA, and I know many of their rosters have high # of Texas players.  It just seems sort of backwards.

And yes I know that we have quite a few young ladies playing out of State by choice.

Here are a few examples of what many college level coaches have commented to me about(I have interacted with a large number of them)
1.  Selfish play--hold on to the ball too long repeatedly and shooting when it is not a great shot selection
2.  Technique--being able to receive the ball out of the air and keeping it close to maintain possession, receiving a ball at feet with opponents in your back and maintaining possession, dribbling with your head up, taking a peek over your shoulder before you receive the ball to adjust how it's received, receiving a ball without kicking it 5 or more yards ahead of you
3.  Decision making (tactics)--knowing when to pass on the ground in space, in the air, chip, to feet; knowing when to pass(if you have 3 players around you, 2 of your teammates are free); running routes
4. Defending--how and when to tackle, stepping between the ball and the offensive player, pushing a player into your help or their weak side, simple containment
5.  heading--most kids head the ball the same no matter where they are, heading has a purpose and it is different in each part of the field and the technique MUST be taught

As a parent quiz your child on these things and you will be surprised how much they have not been taught!

[jmlrvp50]

With all due respect to everyone's previous comments. I will share my perspective both as a coach and a parent. I have been involved with soccer in Louisiana since 2011. I have seen all levels in high school, club , and o d p. In the past 6 years I have also watched over 60college games. It is amazing to me that the Louisiana public universities do not recruit more Louisiana players especially with the opportunity for the t o p s program. There are players in Louisiana who are re plenty good enough to play at these schools. Also,understand that the commitment level at d 1 is not any less of a commitment than it is a a quality d 2 or quality naia program. Actuallly the soccer at the d 2 and. NAIA level is often better than many of the d 1 schools. My daughter graduated in 2015 and approx 30 girls signed to play college ball that year and I believe only 6 Signed with Louisiana schools. So I think that maybe the in state coaches take a second look at the level of play of our girls. There are definitely players in this state who can compete.