Boyle to play soccer for University of Redlands

Senior Molly Boyle has officially committed to play soccer for the University of Redlands, in Southern California. Boyle has played soccer since she was 4 years old, and this marks her 13th year. In addition to being a four-year varsity starter for Sisters High School, Molly has played for some pretty elite teams: three years for the Bend FC Timbers and three years for the Olympic Development Program (ODP).

Soccer has always been a big part of Boyle's life, and it was only natural for Molly to pursue the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. She looked at a lot of options, including the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), a Division 1 school.

Molly told The Nugget that UCSB just wasn't the right fit for her.

"The school was just so big and I knew that I wouldn't adjust well going from Sisters to a school of that size," said Boyle. "And, I didn't want to commit my collegiate life entirely to soccer. I wanted to be able to focus on my studies, too."

Boyle strongly considered attending California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), a Division 2 university, but after a visit realized that wasn't the right fit either.

"The campus was extremely spread out and built on an old army base, and just walking from the dorm to the field took 20 minutes. I just couldn't picture myself there," she said.

At the time Boyle was visiting these two colleges, she had never even heard of the U of R. Molly first heard of the university while participating in a tournament last summer. After the tourney, U of R's assistant coach, Su Delguercio, emailed Boyle and told her they'd seen her play and were going to continue to watch her.

"I sent them game film and then I talked or texted with Delguercio every day throughout the summer," said Boyle.

Molly told The Nugget she researched the school and their academics and fell in love with it just reading about it. She was invited to Redlands for an official visit and made the trip last October. Molly was able to spend two nights with the team, watch practices, and sit in on a couple of classes that related to her major (sports management).

The team welcomed Boyle with open arms.

"I immediately felt the great team chemistry and I felt comfortable and accepted," said Boyle. "But there was no mention of me playing for them at the time, and I didn't hear a word from them until Thanksgiving break. By that time I'd already submitted my application to attend there. The head coach, Suzette Suboti, emailed me and told me that if I was accepted they wanted me to play for them.

"I received my acceptance letter the day before Christmas Eve. I let the coach know and she told me right away that she'd love to have me on the team."

Division 3 schools are not allowed to give athletic scholarships, but Molly was offered a generous academic scholarship ($22,000) which will help off-set the yearly cost.

Boyle has played almost every position on the field, but prefers to play defense.

"It looks like the positions that are open are forward and midfield," said Boyle. "I'll take any position I can get. I just want to get as many minutes on the field as possible."

Molly will head to California in August and will begin practice as a Bulldog. She's excited that her first pre-season games of the year will be in Oregon against Willamette and Pacific University.

"Last year the women's team won their conference and made it to the second-round of the NCAA National Championships," said Boyle. "I'm excited I get to be part of such a great team. On the other hand, I'm really nervous because I've never lived anywhere but Sisters, but I'm extremely excited to play for them. I get butterflies just thinking about it."