Senior central defender Ryann Brown will be using her final year of college eligibility to join reigning national champion University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After a successful Ivy League Championship senior season at Princeton, Brown confirmed the decision on her social media last week, donning the Carolina blue in an Instagram post.
“Definitely very surreal,” Brown said of the commitment in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “It feels great to continue that journey and be a college athlete, and it feels great just to be a part of UNC’s program, because they produce so many pro players and national team players.”
“So it’s a program where I think one day I’m going to be able to brag about it. And I think that’s an accomplishment,” she continued.
At UNC, Brown will be joining a storied program that has produced some of the United States’ top women’s soccer talents in recent years. Five members from the U.S. women’s national team’s 2019 World Cup-winning squad previously played for UNC — more than any other school. Last month, U.S. Soccer awarded Ally Sentnor — UNC alum and forward for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Utah Royals and the US national team — the Young Female Player of the Year award.
Following an uncertain recruitment process, which included interest from other soccer powerhouses such as Clemson, Ohio State, UCLA, and Wake Forest, Brown said she was thrilled to receive an offer from UNC.
“It’s something where I can be really proud of myself because it didn’t happen the first time around,” Brown added. “But it’s nice that I was finally able to attain it, and I did get better.”
Brown, who had a breakout sophomore season at Princeton, missed her junior year due to a combination of tendonitis and overuse injury from the prior season. But that only helped her come back even stronger for a historic senior season.
“That was really tough for me, but it taught me a lot just about the game itself,” Brown reflected. “Standing back and watching a lot of games, I kind of realized it’s okay to make mistakes … it taught me some aspects of soccer that I really didn’t know before, so I’m grateful for that.”
Coming back as a starting center back her senior season, Brown played a crucial role in Princeton’s defense, which had the only single-digit goals conceded record (nine) in the Ivy League. That stifling defense helped bring the Tigers an Ivy League Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Brown attributes Princeton’s recent success to a feeling of sisterhood built among the team. This value of putting the team first is something she hopes to bring from her Princeton experience to her upcoming season with UNC.
“I think sometimes it becomes very individualistic and very self-centered, especially at programs like UNC,” Brown added, “[But] you win championships when you’re not doing it for yourself.”
After four years at Princeton juggling her academic and athletic responsibilities, Brown is looking forward to the opportunity of embracing the soccer side of her life.
“It’s nice that school is a little bit less taxing at UNC,” Brown explained. “I think I could just put my entire body and soul into soccer, [and] I want to get the best I can get within that time frame.”
Beyond joining a historical program and shooting for a national championship at UNC, Brown will also fulfill a family legacy. Both of Brown’s parents attended UNC, and her father, Omar Brown, played football for the Carolina Blue before spending three seasons with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
“I think it’s been indoctrinated in us, my sister and I, to go to UNC, so it feels great to be carrying on my dad’s legacy,” Brown said.
At UNC, Brown plans to shoot for the stars and build a legacy of her own.
“I want to win a national championship. I want to do the most you can do as a soccer player on the college level,” she told the ‘Prince.’
Until then, Brown is relishing her last few months at Princeton. “I love it here” she said, “but at the same time, I think my chapter here is coming to a close.”
Bryant Figueroa is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Leila Eshaghpour-Silberman is a Sports contributor and contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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