Macayla Edwards is a Defender on the Florida State Women’s Soccer team which was ranked number one in the country last year. Here’s how she got to where she is and where she wants to take her career.
Name: Macayla Edwards
Major: Exercise Science
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Relationship Status: Single
Courtesy: Macayla Edwards
Her Campus (HC): When did you start playing soccer?
Macayla Edwards (ME): I started when I was five years old.
HC: How did your passion for soccer develop?
ME: I played a lot of sports and realized soccer was the sport I loved the most, so I stuck with it. The more I played it and the more I learned, the more I loved it.
HC: What is your practice schedule like?
ME: We practice five or six days a week depending whether or not we have a game.
HC: What are your goals with soccer after college?
ME: I hope I can play pro somewhere around the country and enter the soccer draft.
HC: How do you balance school, soccer and your social life?
ME: It definitely takes organization and time management and just staying on top of things.
HC: What motivates you to keep going through all the school stress and long practices?
ME: My passion for it; I love it.
HC: What do you like to do in your free time to relax?
ME: Go to the beach or out on a boat. Just getting out and exploring somewhere, being out in nature.
HC: What is your favorite quote?
ME: “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.”
HC: What is your advice to other aspiring athletes?
ME: Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, because whatever you set your heart and your mind to, you can do.
HC: Which accomplishment are you most proud of?
ME: I’m proud of being a Division 1 athlete at one of the top five soccer schools in the country. This has always been a dream of mine, to play here at this program, which is one of the most professional programs in the world.
HC: I know you were looking at some different schools for soccer. How did you know FSU was the right choice for you?
ME: I get that question a lot, but it’s just a feeling. I toured a lot of schools and talked to a lot of coaches, and this school just felt like home. It just felt like I could come and it would be a built-in family with the team. I liked how the program was run and how the people were so welcoming.
HC: What is something you want to accomplishment before you graduate?
ME: I want to win a national championship here.
Courtesy: Macayla Edwards
HC: Who is your role model?
ME: I would say Julie Johnston, who is the center back for the woman’s national team. She was an underdog, basically, and was not in the national pool or a starter. Someone got injured one game and she was able to step in her place. She proved herself so much that now she’s a starter and just won the national championship with her team.
HC: You have to stay pretty healthy to be in the shape you are in, but when you can have a cheat meal, where do you like to go out to eat?
ME: Oh man, I would say pizza anywhere. My new favorite place is Blaze, which is like Chipotle but for pizza.