So often with club soccer players, they were taught or influenced by someone in their family as a young player. Then, a great club like San Francisco Elite can take the foundation and build upon that.
However, sometimes, a player does not come from a soccer background, making the development they receive at SF Elite that much more important.
Alexis Chang, who plays for the 2012 Girls Orange team, does not come from a family with a lot of soccer experience, making her experience with SF Elite that much more important.
So far she is loving playing at the club. She is making new friends, has a great coach in Cat Hill and feels encouraged from the community that is the Club.
"I can see myself developing and improving as a player," Chang said. "I'm learning more and more about soccer."
Lexie, as she is known, started playing in the second grade, joining a school team at the time which participated in the San Francisco Youth Soccer League. She simply joined because some of her friends and classmates did so, and ended up really liking it.
She scored her first goal of the season recently, meaning she has come a long way from the little girl who gave soccer a try in preschool only to lay in the grass for a large part of the game. Needless to say, it was a few years before Lexie gave soccer another try.
Lexie has only been with the club for about a year and a half now, so she is relatively new after joining in the Fall of 2021. She decided she wanted to play club soccer and tried out for a few clubs. She chose SF Elite because of the positive environment.
Furthermore, she wants to play high school soccer, and possibly beyond, and SF Elite is a club that can help get you to where you want to be.
"I ended up really liking SF Elite because the girls were kind and encouraging," Chang said. "I love soccer and I think I'll keep going. Definitely into high school and maybe even beyond."
Lexie is a tough, hard-working player as evidenced by her desire and willingness to play defense and help protect her team's goal. She likes to play defensively, generally speaking, and usually plays the No. 6, and sometimes plays other midfield positions.