Ready to score the final goal and tie breaker of the game, junior and center midfielder Gianna Rizzo kicks the ball, allowing the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagles to win the District title.

On June 15, colleges opened their recruitment process to soccer players entering their junior year. Many schools contacted Rizzo but one school in particular stuck out to her. Rizzo will be attending the University of North Carolina Charlotte, an NCAA Division 1 school, in the fall of 2025. Many factors influenced this decision but she described how the environment at UNC Charlotte made her feel at home.

“When I went up to Charlotte all the coaches and players were kind and welcoming from the start, UNC is also by far the nicest campus I visited,” Rizzo said.

Rizzo was a Center fielder on the MSD Lady Eagles as a freshman in the 2021-2022 season.The Eagles have set high standards for their players, Rizzo met those expectations, gaining a starting spot as a first year player.

She has been playing soccer since the age of six and began her competitive soccer career at age of 12. Ever since she was little her and her father would watch sports together and dreamed about her going professional. Rizzo would watch Cristiano Ronaldo, her favorite soccer player and dreamt about being on a professional field like him.

Throughout the years, Rizzo attended many Division 1 camps, which also helped her in the recruitment process.

Playing at collegiate level is always a big accomplishment and deserves a lot of recognition especially at this Division 1 level.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment, when I got on the plane ride back home after visiting the school, it finally hit me that I’m going D1, but the journey is not over. Now I have to prepare to be ready for the next level,” Rizzo said.

Rizzo is ready for her next step and milestone in her career and hopes to make her parents who made this all possible happy

“I couldn’t be more proud of her. Signing with a D1 school has been her goal for many years and through hard work, determination and focus, she was able to achieve that goal. Proud is an understatement,” Rich Rizzo, Rizzo’s father, said.

Rizzo’s main goal this year is to keep up her academics and stay in shape so she can be ready for her upcoming travel season and high school season.