Catharina and Paula, both from Germany, played together at NCAA D1 Stony Brook University in New York on women’s soccer scholarships. Paula Petri played midfielder for the first team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1. Bundesliga. This is the highest division for women’s soccer in Germany. Catharina von Drigalski played six years as a defender with 1. FFC Frankfurt. For three seasons, from 2016 until 2019, she played for the second team in the 2. Bundesliga.
After graduating high school in Germany, both decided to use their talent to achieve women’s soccer scholarships in the USA. Stony Brooks head coach, Tobias Bischof (also from Germany), recruited the two players for the 2019/2020 season. A decision he would not regret!
On our college road trip station #6 the Athletes USA team interviewed Catharina and Paula and takes you on a tour of Stony Brook University. Watch the video to hear about their college recruiting process and experiences on a women’s soccer scholarship in the USA.
Highest Soccer Level in Germany to Women’s Soccer Scholarships in the USA
The midfielder from Germany knows what it means to compete at the highest level for women’s soccer in Germany. Paula Petri made her first appearance for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1. Bundesliga at age 16. In the 2016/17 season she had three appearances at the top level. After they won the 2. Bundesliga (2nd highest division) in the 2017/18 season, she made another 8 appearances in the highest division during the 2018/19 season. Petri also played on Germany’s Women’s National Team from 2015 until 2017.
Catharina, defender for FFC Frankfurt’s second team, made her first appearance in the 2nd Bundesliga in the 2016/2017 season. In three seasons she collected 40 appearances and over 3.000 minutes at one of the most competitive women’s soccer level in Germany. Because Paula and Catharina competed at this level for several years, they were able to join one of the best colleges for women’s soccer scholarships in the USA.
America East Champions in Season #1
Tobias Bischof knows he did everything right to recruit Catharina and Paula on a women’s soccer scholarship after just one season. The 2019/20 season was Tobias’ first season as the head women’s soccer coach at Stony Brook’s. It was also the freshman season for Catharina and Paula.
The three German natives, as well as the whole team and staff, crowned their efforts with the America East Championship. First, they won the America East regular season title to go on and also win the America East Tournament Championship. With a 14-5-1 record they qualified for the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. They faced the #4 ranked team in the USA, Penn State University. Unfortunately, the Penn State women’s soccer team put an end to their astonishing season with a 1-3 defeat. But the team scored its first-ever NCAA D1 Women’s Soccer Championship goal.
Nonetheless, Catharina and Paula were honored for their impressive first season in the USA. Both were named to the America East All-Rookie Team as well as the America East Fall Honor Roll. Paula had six assists and one goal, starting all 21 games that season. Catharina collected two assists as the Stony Brook’s corner specialist and also started all 21 games.
Women’s Soccer Scholarships at Stony Brook University
What is the best college for women’s soccer scholarships in the USA? Stony Brook University is definitely one of them. The public research university in Stony Brook, New York, consists of 213 buildings and over 1,454 acres of land. By area, it is the largest public university in the state of New York.
In 2001, Stony Brook was elected to the Association of American Universities, a selective group of major research universities in North America. It is also classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – very high research activity”.
The Stony Brook ‘Seawolves’ compete in the NCAA Divison 1 and are members of the America East Conference. They also set high academic standards with an acceptance rate of 44%, SAT range from 1230-1440, and out-of-state cost of attendance above $43.000. Roughly 27,000 students and 2,738 academic staff bring life to the University.
Do you want to learn more about how to get a women’s soccer scholarship in the USA? Feel free to reach out to us or start your free evaluation of your chances.
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