After a lengthy recruitment process, Maylen Montoya (‘25) has committed to the University of Washington for soccer.

A Passion for Soccer

Ever since the age of 5, Montoya has been playing soccer. She started in U5 at the Pleasanton Rage program. From the start, she has always enjoyed playing soccer immensely. With such a passion from a young age, Montoya quickly improved in the sport. She practiced frequently each week.

“All throughout my younger years, I just loved playing soccer. It was something that I always looked forward to doing after school. It just came really easy to me to practice [soccer]. Doing it that young sparked my love for the sport. As I got older, it was like something that I really wanted to focus on. I just love doing it,” said Montoya.  

Although soccer is fun by itself, Montoya’s true joy for soccer comes from playing with her teammates. The collaboration and the shared determination to win form quick friendships. 

“[I love] how fun [soccer] is like being able to play with your best friends. It’s just so fun when you’re able to, like, connect, and everything just comes together,” said Montoya. 

Committing to the University of Washington

The recruitment process is a multi-stepped process. Montoya first had to email schools. Then the schools will send people to watch her play. After that, she had to visit those schools before committing. 

“Once they see you play, they’ll reach out to you, and you’ll start talking over the phone. From there, you’ll visit the school. I went on a few visits to different schools. From there, I was able to make the decision to commit to Washington because I really fell in love with it,” said Montoya.

The recruitment process is stressful, partly because so few people understand the struggle involved. Montoya thanks her support system for getting her through it.

“I had a lot of support like my coaches and my family were just like, so supportive. It was stressful, but I was able to manage and figure out what I wanted,” said Montoya. 

Now that Montoya is finally committed to the University of Washington, she is excited for the future ahead. She will be a student-athlete, playing soccer while majoring in Biology. 

“I have been friends since we were little as we played on the same soccer team for a long time. She puts in a lot of time and hard work. None of this comes really easy to anyone. Getting committed is super hard. I’m just really proud of her. She definitely deserves it,” said Keira Barker (‘25).