Kicking it to Columbia

Noah Vaidyan• October 28, 2025

At only 16 years old, Junior Allie Chang has already committed to Columbia University’s women’s soccer team. As a sophomore last season, Chang led the Peninsula girls varsity soccer team with eight goals and tied for the most assists on the team. In 12 games played, she logged 500 minutes on the field. This is a significant contribution from any player, but it is especially impressive for a sophomore playing on varsity.

Aside from Peninsula's varsity team, Chang also has played club soccer for Beach City Futbol Club, which is part of the Elite Club National League (ECNL). ECNL is highly recognized for the highest level of play in the nation and is a hub for scouting and recruiting. The league hosts events that are intended to showcase talent for college scouts and coaches across the nation. In April, it was announced that over 73% of girls Division 1 soccer commits for the class of 2026 were from the ECNL. Through the ECNL, promising players such as Chang are allowed to grow and strengthen their skills to meet a high standard of performance, which Chang clearly demonstrated during her time with the Beach City Futbol Club. While part of Beach City, Chang earned the ECNL Southwest All-Conference First Team honors for the 2024-25 season. After all of her hard work and practice, it was quite exciting news when Chang got the offer to play at Columbia. Chang relived the moment and the people in her life that helped get her there.

“I was really excited since Columbia has been my dream school, so when I got the call to play there, I was really happy,” Chang said. “I had some confidence since our team and [the] players in our club are really high level and I know a lot of girls that I’ve played with that have committed to Division 1 universities.”

Throughout Chang’s childhood she has always been encouraged to play soccer, especially by her father to whom she credits her improvement over the years. She has been playing the sport since age three and has wanted to play at the collegiate level for as long as she can remember. Many positive traits and skills are needed in order to reach such an important milestone. Chang's teammate, Junior Kealani Vega, commented on the leadership skills she sees in Chang and how they played together.

“Chang is very confident and that’s a really good leadership trait because we all feed off her energy,” Vega said. “She [also] has a really good soccer IQ, so [through her IQ] we were able to play a lot of natural soccer. We [have] really good teamwork and progression through the field.”

Chang has clearly stood out to coaches and peers throughout her soccer journey. Her coaches attribute her success on the field to her strong sense of work ethic, determination and intelligence of the sport. They acknowledge that Chang has devoted time outside of her schedule to become the best soccer player that she can be, which has paid off. Girls' varsity soccer head coach Magali Blazevic explained what kind of player Chang is and what it takes to follow after her success.

“Chang has the determination to succeed in everything she puts her mind to. [She's] intelligent, a great teammate [and a] vocal member on the field,” Blazevic said. “If you want to play at a Division 1 school or even Division 2 or Division 3, you need to make sure that you’re putting in extra work, but you also need to be [a] good teammate who has a good work ethic and takes criticism as a point of improvement and not as an attack.”

Chang’s athletic identity reflects leadership, dedication and the desire for growth which are vital to athletic success. All of these qualities have contributed greatly to Chang’s success and will continue to shape her as a player in the years to come. Chang, now entering her junior year, will continue to play for Peninsula this season. She will join Columbia’s girls soccer program as part of the class of 2027. Chang’s success serves as an inspiration for young athletes wanting to succeed and proves that with a strong work ethic and determination, anyone can achieve their dreams, no matter how big they may seem.