She Didn't Chase D1. She Chased the Right Fit. Now She's a National Champion.

When Zoe Edwards first came to Upper 90 College, she had the same question most Australian families ask: "Can she play D1?"

It's the question I hear in almost every first conversation. And it's the wrong question.

After 16 years of placing Australian players into US college soccer programs, I've learned that the division doesn't make the player. The fit does.

Zoe's story is the best example I've ever seen of why.

Who Is Zoe Edwards?

Zoe is an Australian footballer who grew up with dreams of playing college soccer in the United States. Like hundreds of athletes I've worked with, she had genuine ability, a strong academic record, and the kind of hunger that college coaches love in an international player.

When we sat down and mapped out her options, the conversation wasn't about chasing the biggest name or the highest division. It was about where she would thrive — as a player, as a student, and as a person living thousands of kilometres from home.

The answer was Keiser University in Florida. An NAIA program.

Why Keiser?

Keiser University is one of the most competitive NAIA women's soccer programs in the country. But what made it the right fit for Zoe wasn't just the soccer. It was the culture, the coaching staff's genuine interest in her development, the academic environment, and the lifestyle of being in South Florida.

This is what I mean when I talk about fit. It's not a consolation prize. It's a deliberate, intelligent decision — and it changes everything about the experience a student-athlete has in the USA.

2025: National Champion

In 2025, Keiser University won the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship.

Zoe Edwards was on that team. She has the ring to prove it.

Let that sink in for a moment. An Australian girl — who could have spent years chasing D1 programs that weren't the right fit — instead found her place in a program that went all the way to the top of their governing body and won it all.

She is a national champion.

What This Means for Australian Families

The US college soccer system has over 1,000 programs across five divisions: NCAA D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and NJCAA. That's an enormous landscape — and within it, there are programs at every level that compete for and win national championships.

Every year, I watch families dismiss NAIA, D2, and D3 programs without a second thought. They're fixated on a division label, when what they should be asking is:

Where will my son or daughter play the most, develop the fastest, feel most supported, and thrive academically?

In my experience, the athlete placed in the right program at the right level will almost always outperform the athlete who forced their way into the wrong division. The right fit creates the right conditions. And the right conditions produce champions.

Zoe Edwards is living proof.

The Right Fit Matters More Than the Division Label

If you're an Australian family beginning the college soccer journey, I want to leave you with this:

Don't start with the division. Start with the questions.

What kind of environment does your athlete need? What are they studying? How far from home are they comfortable going? What coaching style brings out their best? What does success look like to them in four years — not just on the pitch, but in life?

Answer those questions honestly, and the right program will reveal itself. It might be D1. It might be NAIA. It might be somewhere you've never heard of — like Keiser University in Florida.

And it might come with a championship ring.

Upper 90 College has been placing Australian student-athletes into US college soccer programs for over 16 years. To find out more about the right-fit approach, visit www.u90college.com.au or get in touch directly.