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Caitlin Clark is a powerhouse on the basketball court, but that’s not where her athletic talents stop. Her incredible performance in her rookie year with the WNBA has shown that she’s not just meeting but surpassing expectations. After a few early struggles, Clark has proven herself to be one of the most exciting players to watch in professional basketball.
But basketball wasn’t her only sport growing up. Clark was also a standout soccer player during her younger years. At Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, she played soccer for two seasons before deciding to focus solely on basketball. According to her father, Brent Clark, it eventually made more sense for her to concentrate on just one sport because the demands of playing both were too high.
Clark’s soccer skills were impressive too. Her father believes that if she had chosen to stick with soccer instead of basketball, she could have been just as successful. He mentioned in an April 2024 interview that she could have made it onto junior-national teams if she had continued playing soccer.
Her soccer stats back up this claim. As a freshman, Clark scored 23 goals in just six games. According to JP Pearson, the head coach of Dowling’s women’s soccer team, Clark had the potential to be a top Division I player. He recognized her talent early on and noted that she had a natural ability to break through defenses and score, much like she does in basketball.
John Sheridan, one of Clark’s youth soccer coaches, praised her striking ability, saying he had never seen a female player strike a ball with such skill. Her technique was top-notch, making her a formidable player on the field.
Clark’s soccer career was marked by significant achievements. In her freshman season, she scored 26 goals in six games and was named to the first-team all-state, despite missing half of the season to win a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Buenos Aires.