For a player with the incredible soccer credentials that Ellie Rappole (Winchester, Mass.) earned during her 10 years playing with the New England Football Club (NEFC), she said she actually had a very short list of colleges she considered when it was time to contemplate the next chapter of her career.
"I am very ambitious in every aspect of life," the Yale University chemical engineering major told New England Soccer Journal. "I love soccer. But I have other passions, and I wanted my choice of college to not feel like I was sacrificing my other ambitions."
She said it was about finding the right fit for her and her interests with one of her targets being in New Haven. It was during her recruiting process in 2019 that the Bulldogs had a coaching change in the elevation of Sarah Martinez from assistant coach to head coach -- with Martinez saying that one of her first tasks as a head coach was to affirm Rappole’s commitment.
