Newton’s Forsyth signs to play Division I soccer for UNI

Anna Forsyth is built to play soccer, a sport she has been passionate to play since “I could walk.”

The Newton High senior realized her dream of playing NCAA Division I soccer with Wednesday’s signing of a national letter of intent to play for the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Forsyth said she made a verbal commitment to UNI almost two years ago.

“You would think it was a long time to wait, but it really came on fast,” Forsyth said Wednesday. “I’ve wanted to play at the college level for as long as I can remember. I’ve been playing soccer since I could walk.”

Forsyth will complete a third season of play for the Newton Cardinals this spring. She played as a freshman then stepped away from the high school team as a sophomore to play club soccer.

“It was a tough decision, but the sophomore season is the main recruiting year for college programs,” Forsyth said. “With the Iowa Rush, we play a fall season and a spring season in front of a lot of college coaches.”

She has played on club teams for seven years through the Iowa Rush Soccer Club of Ankeny. Forsyth had been a starting defender for the Iowa Rush teams, playing on five state championship teams from 13-and-under to 19-and-under.

Forsyth returned to Cardinal soccer as a junior. She helped the Cardinals reach the Class 2A state tournament for the second year in a row in 2017.

Forsyth was named to the 2017 All-Little Hawkeye Conference girls’ first team as a defender. She had three assists and four goals for Newton. As a freshman, Forsyth scored seven goals, had five assists and went 3-for-3 on penalty kicks.

“For the high school team, I’m an all-around player. I play where they need me. I played mid-field mostly last year,” she said. “On my club team, I’m a defender, which is the position I’ll be playing in college.”

Forsyth said athletes talk of that special feeling they get when they go on a campus visit. It happened for her at UNI.

“You just don’t know how it feels until it happens to you,” Forsyth said. “I knew about the UNI program and knew several of the players on the team when I visited. It’s the place I wanted to play.”

Forsyth will join an UNI Panther team which went 14-5-1 overall and 4-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play in 2017. It was the first season for Panther head coach Bruce Erickson.

UNI lost 1-0 to Missouri State in the MVC tournament championship. The Panther women’s soccer program began in 2000.

“Playing on the big stage is always a dream for athletes. I didn’t want to get overconfident, but as I talked to coaches I realized it could be a possibility for me,” Forsyth said.

“What makes me a good defender? Well, I’m willing to work with others on the field and communicate a lot. Plus my strength and knowing the game well.”

She was a member of the Iowa Rush team which won the Midwestern Regional League Fall Premier 1 Division Championship this year. The Midwestern Regional League involves 12 states and has five divisions.

The Iowa Rush was the first Iowa team to win the Premier 1 division Championship. As state champions, Iowa Rush represented the state at the regional tournament and played state champions from the 12 states in Region II.

Forsyth has also played for the Rush National Team at the Presidents’ Day Tournament in Phoenix, AZ.

Forsyth said she’s looking toward kinesiology or exercise science as major studies in college. She wants to become a physical therapist.

She is the daughter of Chris and Greg Forsyth of Newton.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com