Jeanette Ward, coach of the the Edmonds Community College women’s soccer team told the paper of her tireless efforts to improve her roster from six to 14, but that just five players have soccer experience. “I don’t know if it’s just a gender thing,” Ward said. “But there’s got to be (a reason) because it’s so obvious.”
The shortage of women players “is the biggest mystery in the world to me,” said Brandi Prince, the women’s soccer coach for Everett Community College. Prince, a third-year coach. “From what I can gather, (many former high school players) think they’re done playing soccer. A lot of times they have other priorities, like jobs. Jobs are a big conflict. But my question is, why is this not an issue for the guys?”
“With the guys, maybe it’s just the love of the game,” said Everett Community College athletic director Larry Walker. “The gals, a lot of them have to work. But my personal opinion is that it’s just a matter of priorities. I don’t know if (women) make it as high a priority” to continue playing, compared to the men.”
The current scholarship for a Washington community college athlete is roughly one-fourth of tuition. Oregon’s women’s sports teams typically have better numbers than their Washington counterparts, primarily due to a full tuition waiver in that state.