Under the traditional plan, one that female soccer players have followed since Mia Hamm stormed the sport some 25 years ago, Mallory Pugh would have completed her first year of college this spring and begun turning full attention to her athletic craft for the summer months.
She would’ve repeated the cycle for three additional years, alternating between the quiet world of NCAA soccer and the swelling buzz of the next World Cup.
Even if pro opportunities existed, she wouldn’t have even contemplated leaving school early.
The sport and climate have changed, however. And less than a year since graduating from high school in Colorado, Pugh has crashed convention by turning pro before ever playing a college match.