WINDERMERE, Fla. — While many high school students use summer break as a time to rest and have some fun, Windermere Prep soccer player Alyssa Parsons is definitely having fun, but no rest is involved.

What You Need To Know

  • Alyssa Parsons finished her sophomore season at Windermere Prep, serving as a captain in her first year with the team

  • This season, Alyssa scored 41 goals in 16 games played

  • Alyssa has been called up to USYNT training camps for the U-16 national team

  • Recruitment for college soccer begins junior year, and Alyssa hopes to play for and attend an Ivy League school

She’s an elite soccer player who’s been called up to camps with the U-16 U.S. Women’s National Team with travel plans to train and compete in Germany this summer. Alyssa’s a striker who finds the back of the net with ease and does it all with a smile. 

Alyssa might not be the tallest on the pitch, but there’s a lot more to be seen.

“Only five foot. But I still like my athleticism,” said Parsons. “Being in the weight room here at Windermere Prep. But being close to the ground helps. So when you go against taller defenders like you can juke em out and stuff. I love it. They definitely they look at me and be like, ‘oh, I got it easy,’ but not so easy. (I) give them a hard day.”

In Windermere Prep’s 16 matches this season, Alyssa scored 41 goals.

“She has the uncanny ability to just to score goals,” said Windermere Prep girls’ soccer coach Greg Stone. “Even you guys had mentioned that she’s not the tallest, but she’s scoring goals with her with her head like out of the air, like just out jumping people. If you see her in matches, it’s pretty impressive.”

“Oh, it never gets old. Yeah, I’m a goal scorer. I love scoring goals for my team,” said Parsons. “Of course it helps my team and, like, we’re all happy, so the feeling never gets old.”

Smaller than the opponents but a knack for the back of the net, Alyssa draws inspiration from her favorite player:

“Lionel Messi. I like how composed he is on the ball in how he reads the game, his IQ, how high it is,” said Parsons. “It’s so easy for him. I want to be like that. I want to make it easy.”

Like the Argentinian, Alyssa is already representing her own country, getting called up to training camps with the U-16 USA National Team.

“It was unreal. I was like, ‘wow, is this really happening?’ I couldn’t even comprehend on what I was feeling, but I was nothing but grateful for the opportunity,” said Parsons. “And I knew that they called me up for a reason. So I just took that, and I went in with all confidence and I took the opportunity to the best I could, and I just executed.”

“For a team and a school to have a great all around person like Alyssa that always has a smile and is always ready to, whether it’s in the class or on the field, to step up and do great things, it’s awesome,” said Stone.

Taking on every opportunity with a smile, Alyssa’s only just finishing her sophomore year, and now the critical time for college recruitment for soccer begins: she’s prioritizing academics just as much as athletics.

“4.0 [GPA] for weighted it is 4.5,” said Parsons. “I make sure that I balance academics as well because it’s just as important to get into colleges, especially Ivy League. I make sure I have a balance in being here at Windermere Prep. It definitely helps me balance it better.”