Caitlin Clark is a menace on the court — but that's not the only playing surface she has terrorized in her athletic career.
The star rookie of the Fever has lived up to — and exceeded — expectations in her first year in the WNBA. The transition from college to the pros experienced some bumps in the beginning, but the Iowa product has it figured out. Clark is one of the game's most exciting players and is must-watch television when she's in action.
Like many athletes, Clark didn't just focus on one sport growing up. As a youngster, she also was a star on the pitch, playing soccer all the way into high school.
NOH: Caitlin Clark has an attitude — but it's not a problem
Here is everything to know about Clark's soccer career.
Did Caitlin Clark play soccer?
Clark grew up as a two-sport athlete. At Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, she played for the soccer team for two seasons.
After her sophomore season, Clark shifted her entire focus to basketball. According to her father, Brent Clark, "it got to the point where it didn’t make sense anymore" for her to keep playing both sports.
How good was Caitlin Clark in soccer?
Basketball fans are witnessing just how good of a player Clark is on the court. She is the sure-fire Rookie of the Year this season and already is cementing herself among the league's elite.
But what about soccer? Just how talented was she on the pitch?
MORE: Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA single-season rookie scoring record
According to her father, if she had stuck with soccer rather than basketball, she would be just as skilled.
"Quite frankly, and I’m not trying to brag about it, but I think she probably could have been the same sort of talent in soccer that she is in basketball," Clark's father said in an April 2024 interview with Hawk Central. "She could have been on USA, junior-national type teams."
The numbers certainly back up his statement. At Dowling Catholic High School, she scored 23 goals in six games — as a freshman.
"She was D-I material in soccer, easily," JP Pearson said, the head coach of the women's soccer team at Dowling. "She did have a way to go, but if she would have stayed in soccer and made that her No. 1 sport ... she was good."
Pearson "knew right away" Clark should be played at forward. Like in basketball, she showed a knack for attacking defenses, finding ways to get the ball into scoring positions.
"The way she used her body, even as a freshman … with her back to a defender, the defenders couldn’t win the ball," Pearson said. "As you can see on the (basketball) court, she was really good at turning players."
The way coaches discussed Clark's ability to strike a ball sounds awfully similar to the way she can shoot a basketball — lethal from all over.
MORE: Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston share unique pregame routine
"I’ve been doing this for 23 years," John Sheridan said, one of Clark's youth soccer coaches. "And I’ve not seen a female soccer player strike a ball like Caitlin. ... There have been some better players, for sure. But in terms of ball-striking, she had unbelievable technique."
Caitlin Clark soccer stats
In soccer, Clark wasn't just a complimentary player who found her role and stuck to it. She was a force, just like in basketball.
During her freshman season at Dowling, she scored 26 goals as a freshman in just six games. Clark was the lone first-year to make first-team all-state in 2017. While some outlets report she played in 13, she actually missed about half the season, only suiting up for those six.
The reason she missed out? She was winning a gold medal for Team USA in the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
MORE: Four ways Fever use Caitlin Clark like Stephen Curry
Caitlin Clark soccer highlights
If the words from her father and coaches aren't enough, or her jaw-dropping stats, let your eyes make the decisions for you.
There isn't a ton, but a few soccer highlights from Clark's playing days have popped up online, showcasing her goal-scoring ability on the pitch.
caitlin clark scoring a goal for dowling highschool as a freshman 😭 everyone hyped af omg.. idk anything about football but she really does stay getting double teamed pic.twitter.com/evpVsJuNKK
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) September 19, 2024
for cc fc, here’s some more football footage 😭 pic.twitter.com/TQS27bBobx
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) June 27, 2024
