By Kyle LoJacono
Steinbrenner girls soccer player Dani Eule committed March 7 to play at East Carolina University, a Division I program in Conference USA.
The junior central midfielder, who received a full-ride scholarship, also had offers from the University of South Florida, the University of Miami, Belmont University and Colgate University.
“There were a lot of things about it that I really liked,” said Eule, who plans to study biology. “I love the coaches. I loved the girls on my visit. Their facilities are amazing. The school itself has a lot of school spirit in their sports programs. Once I asked myself where would I be happy, it was the place that came to mind.”
Eule picked up soccer at age 5, but wasn’t completely sure she wanted to play in college until she entered high school.
“The past two years I really realized that I don’t know what it would be like without soccer, and there was no way I wasn’t going to play,” Eule said. “I really realized how much I love soccer.”
Eule was a first-team The Laker/Lutz News and Western Conference selection this year. She totaled 14 goals and 10 assists as a junior.
Eule’s physical play was one of several parts of her game that interested East Carolina’s coaches.
“They told me my physicality was a reason, but also my athleticism because at the next level there’s going to be girls who are a lot stronger and bigger than me out there,” Eule said. “They also said they liked how I distribute the ball and see the field. They said they needed that one missing link and thought I’d come in and impact right away.”
Eule said committing has given her something more to work toward.
“Everyone says that it’s such a relief to commit, and it definitely is a weight off my shoulders,” Eule said. “At the same time it’s an even bigger burden. Now I know where I’m going, and I want to work twice as hard because I want to be able to go in there and earn playing time right off the bat. It’s a whole new challenge.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
