Amanda Sullivan '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Amanda Sullivan and I am going to be a junior at Platte County High School, where I've started varsity the past two years, and earned a 1st Team All-District Award in 2014, a 1st Team All-Conference Award in 2015, a 1st Team All-Region Award in 2015, and Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2015. I have a GPA of 3.82 and a weighted GPA of 4.25 and plan to maintain that through my high school years. I've taken four honors, one pre-AP, and one AP class in my past two years of high school and I plan to take 2 more AP classes my junior year. I am involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). I am a part of the yearbook staff, and am enjoying  my second year as Sports Editor very much. I also enjoy my part-time job as a youth soccer coach.
I have been playing soccer and softball since I was five years old.  I began playing competitive club soccer six years ago, dual-rostering for three of those years. When I began dual-rostering, I made the difficult decision to give up competitive softball. My eighth grade year, I played volleyball and ran track for my school, but neither diminished my passion for soccer. However, I took away many things from both sports, both physically and mentally. Volleyball improved my vision of the field (court) and taught me the value of team communication. Track helped me improve my speed and endurance, and participating in the high jump improved my vertical jump. My sophomore year of high school I joined the track team- becoming a dual-sport athlete during the spring for my high school. I participated in the 200m dash, 400m dash, 4x200m relay, and 4x400m relay. I placed top 4 in the three events I competed in during the District Meet, but unfortunately did not place high enough to move on to State during the Sectional meet.
However, soccer has always been my first love. Joining an Academy team has increased the level of intensity I put into games and practices. I enjoy the competition level of the leagues and tournaments my Academy teams play in. My original Academy team was the 2012 U13 Missouri Summer State Cup Champion. My current Academy team was a 2012 U15 Missouri Fall State Cup Semi-Finalist, 2013 U16 Missouri Fall State Cup Finalist, and 2014 Fall State Cup Finalist. My high school team was a 2014 and 2015 District Finalist.
I have played striker, center and outside midfielder, but my favorite and most skilled positions are outside and center back. Outside back allows me to make overlapping runs multiple times during a game and it also gives me a chance to use my speed and communication to help the offensive and defensive sides of the game. Center back allows me to see the entire field and communicate with the team. I have speed and determination, and will never give up on a ball- even if I make a mistake. I am always working to improve, especially my first touch and to increase the number of accurate passes I make in a game.
While searching for colleges, I'm looking for a women's soccer program with a highly competitive spirit that focuses on becoming better players on and off the field. Enjoying and loving the game is equally, if not more important than winning and I am hoping to find a team that feels the same way.