Charles Wright Academy senior Sophie Hinz signed a letter of intent on Thursday, March 23, to play soccer at Chapman University in Southern California. Her family, coaches, teachers, and classmates were in attendance to celebrate her latest accomplishment with her.
“I love being around teammates who push one another, get excited to play, and are ready to take on challenges as a team,” Sophie says. “I enjoy being on a team, and soccer was able to give me a social outlet where I could be around girls who share the same interests—and senses of humor. Whether it was in games or practices, I wanted to help promote a fun and hard-working atmosphere by getting the girls hyped about soccer just as I am.”
Sophie, a midfielder and forward, captained the Tarrier girls varsity soccer team her junior and senior years. She was selected to all-Nisqually League teams each of her four years and received first team honors last fall as a senior. “Sophie is an all around tremendous player,” says Coach Saraid Faville. “She has great speed, is always fit, and has a great touch and fantastic vision. Sophie is the epitome of a team player. She is passionate, intense, and focused on the field, and off the field she is supportive, happy-go-lucky, and a friend to everyone.”
The Chapman University women’s soccer team competes in NCAA’s Division III as a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They finished their season 9-9-2 overall and 6-7-1 in the conference, averaging 1.15 goals per game. Tarrier Coach Thiago De Sousa, who earned Nisqually Coach of the Year honors during Sophie’s senior season last fall, says Sophie will make an immediate impact as a Chapman Panther. “I could answer how she contributed to our team with lots of kind words and beautiful imagery, but I would rather be direct: She contributed with goals—a massive amount of them,” he says. “Sophie is a hustler. She is the kind of player every coach enjoys having on the squad. She is definitely not afraid of any opponent, and she stays consistent the entire season. Chapman definitely will be glad to see her positive spirit and appetite for winning alongside with her soccer skills.”
Sophie first began honing those soccer skills in third grade. After having played soccer since kindergarten—alongside competing in gymnastics, ballet, basketball, swimming, and other sports—she fell in love with the beautiful game and committed to training with Harbor Soccer Club, a premier team in Gig Harbor. “I loved how physically and mentally engaging and challenging soccer was,” she says. “I also was able to express my natural competitive nature in a way in which no other sport could. I was in it for the long haul.”
She’s looking forward to taking the next step in her soccer career at Chapman. “I not only fell in love with the campus and school as a whole, but I really enjoyed the coaches, the teammates, and their determination to work hard,” she says. “Also, I wanted to become a part of something greater than my own. I am so excited and grateful to be a part of the Panther community as a student and an athlete, because it will give me the opportunity of a lifetime. I cannot wait for what the future brings.”
Sophie isn’t the only Tarrier who signed a letter of intent to compete at the collegiate level this month. Cooper Cochran signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Puget Sound, which you can read about here.
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