For Nicole Lipp, academics had to be part of the equation.

The standout Eclipse Select midfielder is an exceptional student and so made educational quality a major part of her recruiting process. With more than 50 schools nationwide after her signature, Lipp created a list of 6 schools, each with very strong academic pedigree.

The list included Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, California and the eventual winner, Duke.

"They were similar and all are great schools," Lipp said. "I saw Duke was the best fit for me. I love the conference and I love the coaches and the girls on the team. North Carolina's weather is awesome, and I love the school spirit."

While academics were the primary issue in Lipp's decision-making process, she did admit to one less serious draw, having attended a men's basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"It really is crazy there," she said. "I've never been to a sporting event like that."

After some additional mulling, Lipp made a verbal commitment to Duke in May. She is strongly considering a Pre-Med major in school

"I know it will be pretty hard, but I've always been interested in math and science," she said. "To go into sports medicine would be pretty cool because I'm so passionate about soccer."

Lipp says that passion was already present at an early age, and credits a coach from her earliest years in the game, Oktay Akgun of the Lake Forest Soccer Association, with helping develop her strong skill set, including a lethal finishing ability.

"He always had us doing shooting drills and it just seemed to stick," he said. "I don't know how else to explain it. I just love to shoot."

Not that she's a one-trick pony. Lipp is a ball-winning midfielder with good vision, excellent ability to distribute and a surprisingly good battler in the air.

Her coach at Eclipse, Mike Nesci, said she should be considered with the very best of the top players the Chicago-area club has produced.

"In terms of a complete player, she's probably the best player in our club in terms of the number of things that she can do. She can score, she can head, she can pass, she can defend. She can play center back, holding mid and attacking mid," Nesci said. "Her mentality is fantastic. She's ultra-competitive and in terms of being a leader is a kid who every time she comes to training, she's willing to give everything she has. She's a kid who leads by example and one of the best players we've ever had in our club."

High accolades indeed, but Lipp proves herself over and over again on the field. So it's no surprise she was so coveted on the recruiting front, but she allows that the junior-year commitments so common on the Girls side of things today might be a bit much.

"I think a lot of the time it's early. I think it's tough to imagine yourself and where you want to go in a year," she said. "But at the same time it's kind of nice to know where you're going ahead of time."

College choices behind them, Lipp's U17 Eclipse team is preparing for the Region II Championships coming shortly in Rockford, IL. National champions at the U15 group, the team was knocked out in the regional semifinal last year by FC Milwaukee. She said that is serving as an extra motivator for the team this season.

"Last year was disappointing," she said. "Now we're coming off winning State Cup and happy with most of our play. Our mindset is focused and we're really excited for regionals."

 Lipp, who cites Michelle Akers and Shannon Boxx as on-the-field role models, has an ambitious list of individual and team goals to reach in the coming years.

I'd like to play at the highest level I can. If that means the Women's National Team than I want that," she said. "I know the professional league is coming back that would be a lot of fun to play in maybe before I pursue a medical career. To win a national championship at Duke would be awesome, and hopefully there are a couple more with Eclipse."

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