Meet Academica SC: Haylee Sousa

Haylee Sousa’s family is a big part of Academica’s history, now she’s making her own.

Haylee Sousa’s family has been tied to Academica for generations, however, she is the first from her lineage to take the field for the women’s team. Her cousin Sergio was the long-time head coach of the men’s program before he departed the organization at the end of the 2024 season. Her father as well as her uncles have all donned the black and gold. Now, it’s her turn to make an impact.

Photo Courtesy of Academica SC

Creating Her Own Story

One thing that second and third-generation athletes always have to overcome is the legacy of those who came before them. There’s always a comparison to the father, uncle, or even cousin, and that’s no different for Sousa. Although she’s proud of her lineage, she’s ready to make her own story at Academica. 

In her first season with the club, Sousa appeared in 9 of their 12 matches and started in 3 of them including the home opener and the season finale. She was a key part of head coach Trisha Gonzales’s plans despite not always being a part of the starting eleven. When she got on the field, she could do whatever was asked of her. She’s a very versatile player who can play outside back, winger, or in the midfield. Essentially, she’s a coach’s dream in that regard. 

Sousa has a major advantage over many of her collegiate competition heading into her freshman season thanks to Academica. She spent the summer training with and playing against elite talent. Whether it was high-end Division I players or former professionals, she now has experience playing top players which is something not all 18-year-olds can say. 

Another key advantage Sousa earned from her time with Academica was the ability to develop chemistry with some of her soon-to-be collegiate teammates. Kyndra Obermeyer, Jocelyn Figueroa, and Jayden Jimenez, among others. are all going to be playing alongside Sousa for the foreseeable future and now the four of them have spent quite a bit of time together whether it be at practice or in games. That doesn’t even factor in the older Stan State players on the roster, most notably goalkeeper Malia Allen.

Looking back on her first season with the team, Sousa thought she had a pretty good season despite the team’s struggles at times. She admits that she wasn’t perfect adding “nobody is, but overall I think I've done pretty well adapting and I’m doing well on and off the pitch.”

Sousa’s family has had success while wearing the black and gold, as a result, Haylee wants to make sure she’s able to do the same. She wants to bring a trophy to Academica Soccer Field, and she thinks that’ll be achievable in the next few years. 

Becoming a Warrior 

Sousa is also making a massive change outside of Academica. Following her graduation from Enoch’s High School earlier this year, she’s going to be entering her first season with CSU Stanislaus in a few weeks time. Her new head coach, Gabe Bolton, described her as “A very complete player, a person who was just a great fit personality-wise for our program. [She has] lots of connections to Academica and Turlock, and she is just a great fit for us and for her. Just brings a lot of tools, just a fantastic person and leader.”

Although her leadership won’t likely be heavily counted on during her first season with Stan State, as the former captain of her high school team, Sousa has shown that she is a leader. It wasn’t always easy being a leader at the high school level, when asked about it she said: “It's a lot of work, but I think it helped me a lot with my leadership because it helped me be more patient because some people are not up to the same level so I have to work around everyone.”

Ultimately, Sousa’s main goal for her first collegiate season is to earn a starting spot. She knows it won’t be easy though, as every player on the team has the same goal and will work hard to achieve it. “So I plan to do everything I can to be there and just improve myself, get better each and every game and practice.” Overall, she's just excited about the opportunity and ready to get started: “I'm very thankful that I got the opportunity to be there. So I'm just excited for the new season.”

Off The Field

Outside of soccer, Sousa is going to major in biology at Stanislaus. After she finishes her bachelor’s degree, she plans on transferring to UC Davis to pursue her dream of being a veterinarian. “My family has always been the type to pick up lost dogs off the side of the road and save them. My freshman year my teacher encouraged me to join FFA, then my junior year I became a reporter and by my senior year I became the president so it kind of just pushed me to go that way.”

Sousa has a lot ahead of her with both Academica and Stan State. She has the potential to become a fantastic player at both the DII and USL W levels, it’s just a matter of taking opportunities as they arise and improving on a daily basis. With her willingness to play whatever position is asked of her, she already has one leg up on her competition. 

Both on and off the field, Sousa is making decisions that will set her up for success, not only as a soccer player but also in her future career as a veterinarian.