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Anna Miller and her soccer story // 9.2.19

By Washington Huskies

September 2^nd, 2019

Oh hey there! My name is Anna and I am a senior goalkeeper from Issaquah, Washington! I am one of four kids: an older sister (Madison), a younger sister (Haley), and a younger brother (Jack). We were raised by some pretty awesome parents, Kathy and Mark, who have worked so hard and continue to work hard day in and day out to give our family the most incredible life. They have always made sure that my siblings and I were able to participate in as many sports and extracurricular activities as possible and that is where I found my love for soccer.

I started off like any other kiddo, and played recreationally up until the age of about 10. I then ended up trying out for some more competitive teams as I got older. I played for two local clubs growing up, Issaquah Soccer Club and Eastside FC. Both played major roles in my youth soccer development. I also played high school ball at Issaquah High School (alongside my current teammates Kaylene [Pang} and Claudia [Longo]). From there, I went to play Division II soccer at a small school in Portland, Oregon. It wasn’t the right fit for me, and so I packed up after the first semester of my sophomore year and headed back home to Seattle! And that started my adventure at the University of Washington.

I am very fortunate for the opportunity to play at UW. Shoutout to Lesle, Amy, and Nikki for giving me a chance, they will never truly understand what it has done for me. I became a Husky at a really pivotal time in my life: I had just recently come out of the closet. I am so lucky to have an amazing and supportive family, so the process of coming out was pretty smooth and painless. I recognize that it is not always like that for people my age, especially in the world of collegiate athletics. I was extremely nervous coming into a new team and being open about my identity, because the sports world can be unaccepting sometimes in regards to gender or sexual identities. I quickly realized that I was the only out gay athlete on the women’s soccer team, but recieved support from my teammates and coaches to be open and proud of my identity.

I started to notice a lot of issues within the athletic department surrounding LGBTQ+ athlete inclusion/education, but kept quiet for awhile because I was new and wanted to just blend in and keep my head down. Slowly but surely, I found my voice and started to speak up about certain things I had observed in my short time at the school and on the team. I am majoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies here at UW! All the people and classes within this program have given me such a fantastic foundation to continue to build on. Currently, I am working on an amazing long-term research project with a professor in the GWSS department that is looking deep into the issue of identity and sport in the NCAA, and everything we are finding out can be truly groundbreaking.

These experiences outside of soccer have really helped shape my experience within the UW soccer program. My role on this team is different than the past teams I’ve been on. A lot of my work is done in various ways off the field. At first, it was new and difficult, but I have come to realize just how important it is. Because of soccer, and specifically UW women's soccer, I was able to find my passion and feel empowered in my own skin. And although you may not find me suiting up for the USWNT anytime soon, you will find me changing the world of diversity and inclusion in collegiate sports. I am so thankful for all the tools and experiences playing soccer at UW has given me; I am forever grateful for everyone that has supported me and helped me get here. Go Dawgs!