Conversations constantly swirl around high school athletes and how they can best balance time competing for their school team and their travel team.

But what if a high school doesn't sponsor a team for a student-athletes sport of choice?

That’s the case for rising Derry Area senior Alayna Williams, who’s a standout soccer player. However, even without having a girls soccer team at Derry, Williams has never been deterred from her goal of playing college soccer.

Recently, she checked that goal off of her soccer to-do list, making her commitment to play for Robert Morris University.

“It feels great; it feels like a big weight is lifted off my shoulders,” she commented. “Having this next year to play freely and know I have a place to go, I can really focus and have a stress-free year of soccer.”

During her recruitment, Williams felt that Robert Morris checked all of the boxes. She also had a great connection with the head coach, Michelle Rick.

“She was super excited and I felt so comfortable talking to her in person, on the phone, and texting her,” Williams added. “That was really important to me.”

Williams drew the attention of other Division I schools, including Richmond and Davidson. But it was the Colonials and the soccer program that won her over.

Despite being a talented player, she still had to maneuver through not having a high school team. She’s competed on the travel circuit for the Riverhounds Academy team, but their season typically starts late winter and into the spring.

“Let’s say a college would reach out to me in the summer - I wouldn’t be playing until the winter,” she noted. “It was difficult for them to see me without having a high school team. They would have to wait or I would have to continue communicating with them.”

For those who are close to Williams, they know that soccer is in her blood. Her dad, Jon, was the boys soccer coach at Derry Area, and her sister, Sydney, currently plays for Division III Susquehanna University.

“He’s helped me a lot,” she revealed about the impact her dad has had on her career. “He’s helped me with emails, reaching out to colleges, making sure I stay on top of working outside of practice. He reminds me I have to keep it up if I want to play soccer.”

Her sister has added another avenue of extra work for Williams. Having her sister to look up to has allowed Williams to see what is on the horizon when she goes to play college soccer.

As she prepares for one last year as a Derry Area student, she knows that there is more to come for her when she makes her way up to the Moon Township campus. Not only is she excited for college soccer, but to also relax some during her senior year.

“This whole past year, and even my sophomore and freshman years, I had it in the back of my mind that I didn’t know where I was going or if colleges would reach out,” she discussed. “Now, I get to be free and do whatever. I don’t have to send emails and make phone calls; I can focus on other things. I get a less stressful year.”