FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A year removed from rewriting the Nova Southeastern record books, former Sharks standout Sierra Lelii has since made the well-deserved transition into the professional ranks, where she is now a member of Skovde KIK in Sweden. On Thursday, Lelii was kind enough to take a moment to catch fans up on her current professional playing career and life after NSU, as well as take a glimpse back at her days as a Shark.
 
What made you choose NSU for both your college soccer and educational experiences?
 
I went on a lot of official visits starting my junior year of high school. I remember one of them just dragged on and made me uninterested. Honestly, the second I stepped foot onto NSU's campus I just knew that's where I wanted to be.
  
How would you describe your time at NSU?
 
Those were some of the best years of my life. After my sophomore year, I officially made Fort Lauderdale my full-time home. I had an apartment off-campus and worked in the athletic department as a receptionist for 3.5 years. I met some unbelievable people at NSU and teammates who remain my best friends that I speak to every day. 
 
What are your overall thoughts on the level of play in the Sunshine State Conference and South Region?
 
The conference is competitive. Anyone can win on any day depending on which team decides to show up and play. I played against a lot of international players from all over the world during my career and think it helps increase the competition even more.
 
What were the highlights of your college soccer career?
 
Obviously, my last year was my most decorative season that I had at NSU and I think that's because I was fully healthy. I suffered from injuries like hip surgery and a broken wrist, which were unfortunate. However, I never allowed the injuries to force me to give up or quit and that's what got me to where I am today. I'm thankful for that.
 
How did you find the academic experience at NSU and what did you major in?
 
I majored in exercise and sports science while minoring in psychology. I thought the fact that the classes were smaller really gave me the chance to ask for help and be engaged in the class.
 
What are your thoughts on the facilities and resources available to NSU student-athletes?
 
NSU, by far, has the nicest facilities and most resources available compared to any program I know. NSU has nicer facilities than the Orlando MLS, USL, and NWSL professional programs. I had my hip surgery through Nova's doctors. I had my rehab with Dr. Spreague, who is absolutely amazing and brought me back to play two of the best seasons of my career. I had to use crutches, wasn't able to drive, yet all of these resources were right on campus so it made recovering that much easier. Our weight room is unreal. It's one of the nicest and cleanest weight rooms I've used. Anything that you need, you can ask and it's there for you.
 
In what ways did you grow as a person and player at NSU, and how did the university play its part in your development?
 
I think being on your own away from home, in general, will force you to grow as a person. I figured out a lot about myself, and who I wanted to be and what I wanted to become. The types of people I wanted to surround myself with, I met through Nova and have become some of my main support system until this day.
 
Since leaving NSU you have been playing professional soccer. Can you tell us about your firsthand experience playing with the Orlando Pride?
 
I went to an open tryout held in Orlando the day after the NWSL college draft. I was on the draft list but had little experience as to how the whole process worked. Therefore, for future advice to anyone on the NWSL draft list for 2017, using an agent can work to your benefit as they market you to teams to hopefully get you drafted. During the middle of the first week of preseason was when Alex (Morgan) arrived and the field was lined with video cameras, newspaper reporters, Bright House Sports, etc. Obviously, this was something I wasn't used to and was a little intimidating at first. As the weeks went on, though, I barely even noticed they were there anymore. I grew a lot as a player and learned a lot of things. The training sessions were great quality and were really competitive. It didn't matter what we were doing, everyone was competitive and I loved everything about that.
 
What was it like training and playing soccer every day with world famous superstars like Alex Morgan?
 
It was great to be able to train with the face of U.S. Soccer. She demanded nothing but perfection and I think it really brought the best out of not only me, but all of the players around her.
 
You have since moved on to play professional soccer in Sweden with Skovde KIK. How have you adjusted over there and how are you and the team doing thus far?
 
If anyone has the chance to continue to play soccer overseas I think you would be crazy not to take the chance and pursue it. I've been able to see how Swedish people live their daily lives, and I've spoken at a high school and two sixth-grade classes. I've learned so much about the country and how extremely different it is compared to the United States. Whether it's the food, the school system, transportation, money, taxes, soccer, Sweden is completely different than the United States. This is just stuff you can't just read in a book. It's an extremely awesome learning experience and I can't stress enough to tell people to take the opportunity and do it. I arrived towards the end of the season and so far have three goals and five assists!
 
What are you enjoying about your new life in Sweden?
 
Just imagine playing college soccer, but without school and without having to work - that's my life right now. I go to the gym, train, watch movies, and explore the country I'm living in. It's all very surreal.
 
Although the NSU team has changed a great deal from last year with many seniors leaving, do you still keep track of NSU women's soccer results?
 
Of course I do. My dad sends me a million text messages about the team even though I've told him 900 times, "I know, I already saw it. You do this every week."
 
What would your advice be to the 26 freshmen starting out as Sharks this year on the team?
 
You might not be able to realize it now, but this is by far going to be the best four years of your life. The day you graduate, you will realize how much you will truly miss being at NSU. Sports can be taken away from you in any second, so never take advantage of the fact that you're healthy enough to play the sport you love every single day. Show up to trainings and games with a competitive attitude and want to get better every day. Take trainings as a way to improve your game and really perfect your technical and tactical ability. Take pride in a great first touch, take pride in an amazing finish, take pride in an amazing slide tackle, or even those 6 a.m. conditioning tests in the outrageous humidity South Florida has to offer. Finally, wear your number with pride and make it so when you leave Nova the next person wearing your number has some major shoes to fill.
 
You obviously had many options coming out of high school and you chose NSU over multiple universities at all levels of college soccer. What would your advice be to any potential NSU recruit?
 
There's a lot of things that you have to take into consideration when picking a university. Do they have my major? Do I like the location? Can I see myself living here for four years? What kind of formation/system do they play? Can I grow and develop as a player? Can I get involved on campus? I think those are all questions that you should ask yourself, and obviously take official visits to get a real feel for the university and the program.
 
You are one of the best players to ever play in the Sunshine State Conference and are making everyone at NSU very proud. What would your advice be to others at NSU that have ambitions to play professional soccer once completing their education?
 
It's not easy. I've had to make a lot of sacrifices to be where I am right now. I moved my personal belongings into a storage unit and moved to Orlando not knowing where it could take me. At first, I was living with a host family and had my brother watching my 70-pound dog, which was a lot for everyone to take on. I needed financial help from my family in the beginning as well. I walked into Orlando basically off the street and had to prove myself as to why I should be able to wear the Orlando Pride logo on my chest. You have to put in the extra work, the 1.5 hour training sessions aren't going to cut it. You have to put in the extra technical work and the extra fitness when no one is watching, and it will start to show on the field. At the professional level, I think the main thing they look at is your technical ability and your tactical decision-making. Is your first touch good? Are your passes accurate and firm? Do you think fast enough? Do you play the ball to the correct foot to make sure the speed of play isn't going to be slowed down? Is your movement off the ball helping the flow of the game? These are all things that can only be improved by putting the extra work in and that's why I say, take pride in your training sessions and pay attention to the little things because they do matter.
 
To keep up with the Sharks throughout the season, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow them at @NSU_WSoccer.