Juniors Rylie Jucker and Serena Ahmed have been selected to be two of the 15 girls on the Orlando Pride girls’ 17 and under soccer team. Their hard work has paid off as they are playing on the highest level of girl’s high school soccer in the United States and are considered young soccer professionals. As an Orlando Pride athlete they get to meet the Orlando Pride professional soccer team and occasionally the entire team is able to watch their games.

The United States Soccer Development Academy selected 6,000 players to join their 69 clubs for the 2017-2018 soccer season. The Development Academy has a girls’ soccer team and a boys’ soccer team. The boys’ soccer teams consist of six different ages spanning from less than 12 to 19, while the girls’ soccer teams consist of only four different age groups from under 14 to age 19.

“I have been playing soccer since I was five years old,” Jucker said. “Trying out for a new team is always intense but knowing that you are trying out for a team that is the highest level for girls’ soccer made me even more nervous but excited at the same time.”

When the tryouts took place, the girls had to show that they were in shape and showcase their skills. They scrimmaged against other players who tried out allowing them to show their experience and the skills they possessed. Jucker now plays forward and left-back while Ahmed plays holding and attacking midfield for their team.

“My coach makes me a better player because he pushes me to be the best I can be,” Ahmed said. “My coaches help me with the recruiting process so it is less stressful committing to a college.”

Even though Jucker and Ahmed do not take part in Lake Brantley soccer anymore, they still have the chance to show their skills to college coaches. Colleges only have a certain amount of scholarship money to award, so they only choose the best of the best. Jucker and Ahmed do not know what school they want to attend yet, but they are planning to commit to a college this year.

“To play at a college level, you must have good grades, a high GPA, a standardize test score and of course you must be an excellent student,” Athletic Director Jerri Kelly said. “You have to also know that the school needs you for their team. You also need to be able to handle the rigor of the school and able to handle it economically and academically.”

Their practices, which are held at Austin Tyndell Regional Park in Kissimmee, begin at 5:10 and end around 7:15 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The practices start with basic stretches which are followed by a scrimmage. They sometimes participate in a beep test where players run in place for a long period of time in order to build up leg muscles and stamina.

“The team is made up of some of the strongest players in the state,” Jucker said. “We all have the same goals and that is to be competitive and do our best every game. It is a team effort, so we know that working together to make one another better will make us better as a unit.”