The stadium lights cast long shadows onto the hallowed pitch while the arena’s crowd flutters flags representing the green and yellow of the opposing teams. As she takes her first steps onto the colossal pitch, the enormity of the moment strikes her: a student from Chamblee High School is about to make history by playing on the first Caribbean country team to make it to the Women’s World Cup knockout stage. Solai Washington (‘24), a forward for the Jamaica women’s national soccer team and an attacking midfielder for Chamblee’s girls’ varsity soccer team, recently made a momentous decision in her soccer career by committing to play for Florida State University (FSU).
“I had to decommit from Duke University, which I did because the school didn’t feel like it was the right fit for me. I began to explore other options, and FSU was one of those options. So, I toured FSU and talked to the coaches, team, and professors. I thought it was the right place for me,” said Washington.
Washington decided on FSU for a variety of reasons.
“I liked that FSU was super close to home. It has what I want to major in, which is either going to be sports management or marketing. Of course, the soccer team is really great, and the overall culture is really amazing,” she said.
A verbal commitment is when a student athlete verbally agrees to attend a school before they legally sign a contract, which can be scary to publicly announce.
“Committing is always a little bit nerve-racking in terms of telling everyone and announcing everything. It is something that is just very sacred to me, so sometimes it can feel a little vulnerable, but it’s not too bad overall,” said Washington.
Washington has been playing soccer for 15 years now, and although we reached out to Washington’s coach about the new commit’s performance on the field, we did not receive a response back. Instead, Kara Croone (‘24), one of Washington’s closest friends and Chamblee teammates, answered for their coach.
“I think [Washington] handles the highs and lows of the game pretty well. For the highs, she will not only make it about herself and her own accomplishments, but she makes sure the team is involved in them. For the lows, everybody gets frustrated, but she tries to keep her composure, and I’d say she’s pretty good at it,” Croone said.
One of the most important skills in soccer is the ability to adapt to different situations and gameplay, which Alessandra Washington (‘25), Solai Washington’s sister and Chamblee teammate, is certain the new commit has.
“[Washington] is very adaptable because even with two or three players on her, she will still find a way to beat them by running behind them to score or [utilizing] smaller touches on the ball to play quicker. She can shoot from her left or right foot,” she said.
As for what sets Washington apart from other players, Croone addressed Washington’s strongest abilities.
“I think her technical aspect, one-on-one ability, and competitive side set her apart,” Croone said.
Alessandra Washington addressed her sister’s work ethic.
“What sets Solai apart is how she puts 100% effort into practices, the gym, and training. She puts all her effort in no matter what is going on, even if she is tired or injured. She gives it her all,” Alessandra Washington said.
Croone’s favorite memory with Washington is winning their sophomore state championship with the Chamblee team, and this is also one of Washington’s favorite memories with her friend.
“One of my favorite soccer memories would be playing in the World Cup this past summer—my first game at the World Cup when we were playing France,” said Washington. “That, or winning the state championship last year.”
