California Women's Soccer
Recruiting guide · Golden Bears
D1NCAA Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference · Berkeley, CA
California at a glance
- Level
- NCAA Division I
- Conference
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- School type
- Public
- Undergraduates
- 33,068one of the larger D1 schools · larger than 92% of D1 programs
- Published cost
- ~$45,619 / yron the higher end for D1 · before aid or athletic scholarship
Size and cost from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; confirm current figures on the school’s own site.
How to get recruited by California Women's Soccer
Division I programs recruit early and can offer athletic scholarships, so a strong film, a short honest intro email, and early contact matter most. Check the grade-by-grade recruiting timeline for your class, then reach out to the coaching staff directly.
Your recruiting timeline
Recruiting runs on a grade-by-grade calendar, and the milestones that matter right now depend on your graduating class. Open the free recruiting timeline and pick your class to see exactly what to do — every key NCAA date, sourced and dated.
See the recruiting timelineFill out California’s recruiting questionnaire
Almost every college program has a “recruiting questionnaire” (or “prospect form”) on its athletics website. Filling it out is how you get into a coach’s recruiting database — it’s usually the expected first move before you email. Look for it under the team’s “Recruits” or “Prospective Student-Athlete” menu.
Use your real graduation year and a parent-monitored email. If the form is broken, only open to older grads, or you simply can’t find it, don’t stall — send a short intro email instead (below) and note that you couldn’t complete the questionnaire.
Who to contact at California
Start with the head coach. 4 California women's soccer coaches are on file, 3 with a publicly listed email, each linked to the staff directory it came from.
Also on staff: Cori Callahan (Associate Head Coach), Alec Sundly (Assistant Coach), Andrew Donnery (Assistant Coach).
See all 4 California coaches, emails and sourceHow to contact the coaches
Find the right coach
For a first email, the head coach (Neil McGuire) or recruiting coordinator is usually right — both are on the California women's soccer coaches page, with publicly listed emails and the source they came from.
Keep the intro short and honest
Grad year, position, club/high school, GPA, and one or two key metrics. Say why this school specifically — coaches can tell a copy-paste blast from a real message. The coach email guide has a copy-and-paste template and the mistakes that get an email deleted on sight.
Lead with film
A short highlight video (with a full-match link) does more than any paragraph. Put the link near the top so a busy coach can watch in seconds.
Send it from the athlete
Coaches want to hear from the player, not a third party. Email from the athlete’s own account and reply promptly when they respond.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you get recruited by California Women's Soccer?
- Division I programs recruit early and can offer athletic scholarships, so a strong film, a short honest intro email, and early contact matter most. Check the recruiting timeline for your graduating class, then email the California coaching staff directly.
- Who should I contact about California Women's Soccer recruiting?
- Start with Neil McGuire (Head Coach) — listed with the rest of the California women's soccer staff, with publicly listed emails, on the coaches page linked above. Email from the athlete's own account with a short, honest intro — grad year, position, club or high school, and GPA — and put a highlight-film link near the top.
- When should I start the recruiting process?
- Recruiting runs on a grade-by-grade calendar, so the milestones that matter right now depend on your graduating class. Use the free recruiting timeline to see exactly what to do now — every key NCAA date, sourced and dated.
- How big is California, and what does it cost?
- California has about 33,068 undergraduates — one of the larger D1 schools (larger than 92% of D1 programs), and the published cost of attendance is about $45,619 per year before aid or athletic scholarship, on the higher end for D1. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; confirm current numbers on the school's own site.
Similar programs to compare
A realistic target list has several schools at the same level. Start with these.
Other D1 women's soccer programs in CA
| School | Div | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Cal PolyWomen's · San Luis Obispo, CA | D1 | Big West Conference |
| Cal State BakersfieldWomen's · Bakersfield, CA | D1 | Big West Conference |
| Cal State FullertonWomen's · Fullerton, CA | D1 | Big West Conference |
| Cal State NorthridgeWomen's · Northridge (Los Angeles), CA | D1 | Big West Conference |
| California BaptistWomen's · Riverside, CA | D1 | Big West Conference |
| Fresno StateWomen's · Fresno, CA | D1 | Pac-12 Conference |
Also in the Atlantic Coast Conference
| School | Div |
|---|---|
| Boston CollegeWomen's · Newton, MA | D1 |
| ClemsonWomen's · Clemson, SC | D1 |
| DukeWomen's · Durham, NC | D1 |
| Florida StateWomen's · Tallahassee, FL | D1 |
| LouisvilleWomen's · Louisville, KY | D1 |
| Miami (FL)Women's · Coral Gables, FL | D1 |
| NC StateWomen's · Raleigh, NC | D1 |
| North CarolinaWomen's · Chapel Hill, NC | D1 |
Looking for University of California, Berkeley (California/Cal) Men's Soccer?
Want help reaching California's coaches?
Path To Sign helps you draft coach emails in the athlete’s own voice, send them from your Gmail, and automatically track every reply — so nothing slips through the cracks at California or anywhere else. It’s free to start.