NC native Sydney Reifschneider commits to George Mason women’s soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. (BVM) — The George Mason University women’s soccer team added massive defensive talent to its 2022 squad with the signing of Sydney Reifschneider. A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Reifschneider impressed the Patriots with her determination on and off the field, even through injury.
For Reifschneider, soccer has always been a family affair as her father, Kevin Reifschneider, played college soccer for UNCG and professionally as a Carolina Dynamo midfielder. With her father’s career a motivation for success, the 5-foot-7 defender began her soccer career at 4 years old and has yet to step off the pitch.
“I started mini kickers at around 4 years old,” Reifschneider said. “My dad played soccer, so my older sister and I played as well. It’s something that has always run in my family so I was bound to at least try it. And honestly, I don’t ever want to stop.”
A triple-sport athlete through middle school, Reifschneider also played basketball and ran cross country. And though her love for both sports will always remain, she chose to solely focus on soccer at the start of high school and began to garner attention from college programs like Marquette, Pittsburgh, Ball State and Cincinnati.
“The thing was, I was always attached to soccer,” Reifschneider said. “Even when I was on the basketball court, I would pick up a basketball and juggle it. I could never get it out of my mind, it’s such a passion for me. I love basketball and I did run cross country to improve my fitness, but nothing has ever compared to soccer.”
Despite her love for the game, Reifschneider has never played soccer for her Wakefield High School team due to injury-risk and instead has competed strictly for academy and club teams. She previously played for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) and switched last season to the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). As the two top-tier soccer programs in the nation, Reifschnedier is glad she made the switch to ECNL.
“It’s been different playing for ECNL instead of DA,” Reifschneider said. “In the DA, playing with them was more of a skilled game and in general, ECNL has been much more physical. They are technical and skilled as well, but just much more of a physical game than I was used to which is honestly something I enjoy. I am a defender and am pretty competitive. I like getting in a solid tackle sometimes so the physicality works for me and it’s really fun to play against.”
The senior rostered for the NC Courage ECNL U18/U19 Academy for the 2020-21 season, but has yet to see any minutes after she tore her ACL in October 2020. But after a successful surgery that same November and a solid rehab schedule, Reifschneider has hopes she will play before the end of the year.
“I injured my ACL on Halloween last year,” Reifschneider said. “I was out for an entire year and just got cleared to play a few days ago. I’ve been doing technical work for about four months and I feel great. I don’t think I’ll play until after Thanksgiving because my coaches want me to adjust to contact on the field before live play, so I’m just slowly working my way back onto the field. I feel really good. I am ready to be back.”
Her ACL injury was cause for concern for the then-junior as she was in the height of her college conversations. And though a few programs did hesitate with their pursuance, Reifschneider said that it was George Mason’s support that led to her decision to become a Patriot.
“I had to tell a few schools about my ACL injury,” Reifschneider said. “Some of them did back off or ended up changing their offer a bit. But George Mason said nothing had changed. They were really good about supporting me through my injury and recovery and made me feel really comfortable with them. I went on my official visit recently and loved the new head coach and entire coaching staff. I am really excited to be on that team and to see what comes at the collegiate level.”
Reifschneider has shown determination off the field as well through her impressive academic achievements and charity work. A four-year honor roll member, the senior holds a 4.0 GPA, is a Lamp of Knowledge award winner and has volunteered for the Miracle League of the Triangle and the Food Bank of North Carolina.
Once she reaches Fairfax, Reifschneider plans to study biology and hopes to pursue a career in dentistry. But with her devotion to the game of soccer, a future career in the sport is not off the table.
“If the opportunity comes to play after college, I would definitely take it,” Reifschneider said. “Joining the NC Courage or Washington Spirit would be so cool. But at the same time, I am not going to put pressure on myself to reach that mark. I am confident that whatever is meant to be will happen and I’m just focused on enjoying my time in the process. I’ve been drawn to the sport since I was young, I work hard and truly love what I have been able to do. Honestly, I just can’t wait for my next chapter — it’s going to be great.”
