While most sophomore students have college far off their radar, by the time senior Gabrielle Scarlett had reached her sophomore year she had already committed to a D1 university to play women’s soccer.
Scarlett began playing soccer at the age of three with Miramar Pal Rec league. “My dad put me in because he wanted me to be outside more and have some form of exercise,” Scarlett said.
In eighth grade, Scarlett transferred to Heritage because she wanted to come to a college preparatory school and to have the chance to play for the state championship soccer team.
Almost five years later, Scarlett now plays varsity soccer in school as a midfielder as well as club soccer at Weston FC. Although Scarlett has played with Heritage’s varsity team since eighth grade, this is her first year playing with Weston FC. Previously, she played for the South Florida Football Academy.
In addition to her 2016 and 2019 state championship wins, Scarlett also played for the U17 Jamaican national team and later, played for Jamaica’s U20 team. The coaches from the Jamaican team recruited Scarlett after watching her play at a soccer showcase. “The coaches invited me to a camp where they then selected me for the team,” Scarlett said.
Such success came with the dedication Scarlett put into training. “I normally start off with some technical skill work, then some shooting and then end off with fitness,” Scarlett said regarding her practice regime.
After high school, Scarlett will attend Northeastern University to play on their women’s soccer team. “[Committing to college] was exciting and scary at the same time because I was happy that schools wanted me that early, but I was also a tenth grader with two more years of high school left,” Scarlett said. Eventually, Scarlett decided to commit to Northeastern, as she loves the city of Boston and could find job opportunities with their co-op program. She plans to major in Health Science.
Looking towards her future, Scarlett plans to make the best of her soccer talents. “I plan to play in college, and then if I do well in and get a chance to play professional soccer, I would consider it,” Scarlett said.
