The journey of going pro as a soccer player starts with a dream; one day you’re kicking a ball at school and then you find yourself joining a professional team. But mind you—this isn’t as easy as it seems and perhaps there is no one better to tell you that than Emma Sears. The USWNT forward vocally shared how things became “super elevated” the moment she left college and was drafted by Racing Louisville.

Of course, one shouldn’t be surprised by this. Everything changes when things get more serious, especially on the professional front. A pro-life demands sheer discipline, a high level of commitment, and endless hard work. While someone of Sears’ caliber wouldn’t shy away from these demands, there must have been something unexpected she encountered during her rookie NWSL year. And the answer is not as random as you might think.

“The most surprising has been probably the speed of the game,” Sears began during her recent chat on The Women’s Game podcast, hosted by USWNT icon Sam Mewis. “I do think that it’s super elevated from the college level. I remember very specifically going into the preseason and I grinded up until the draft.”

Honestly, if you look at how Sears played during her debut season with Racing Louisville, it would be hard for you to believe that she actually was a rookie. Well, in all fairness, she was a rookie, but a record-breaking one. She broke the club’s rookie goal record with five goals, and even won the NWSL goal of the week – twice! What’s more? She was even in the league’s top 10 when it came to dribbles into the penalty area. However, that doesn’t rule out the challenges she must have faced—not just the constant travel with the team or adjusting to a new lifestyle, but the change in atmosphere, which was nothing short of a shocking experience for her.

“I was like I don’t want to be unprepared. I want to make sure I’m going in and have everything covered. But I was shocked at how quick and how technical everybody was and I was like, ‘Okay, I’m really going to have to step up in this environment,'” added the 23-year-old winger.

Luckily, Sears was surrounded by a good group, that never stops helping her overcome these certain challenges. “So it definitely took me a second to adjust but I’m learning every day. I love my teammates who pushed me every day. Ultimately, that’s just helping me get better but definitely, the speed of play,” concluded the Dublin, Ohio native.

Interesting. Looks like Sears has a job to continue pushing herself and try to keep up with the game’s speed of play. That would include making quick decisions and indulging in high-rate passing. But honestly, we find it surprising how she isn’t able to keep up with this, considering the feat she achieved on her first preseason camp!

Emma Sears knows why she struggles to keep up with the game’s pace despite achieving a record feat!

If aren’t sure if you have come across this story but Emma Sears broke Racing Louisville’s speed record on the first day of preseason. That interestingly came during one of the training sessions where all the players had to go through a fitness test called the 1K test. Basically, in this test, a player has to cover the length of the field by running back and forth five times under a certain amount of time.

Of course, it was Sears who stood out in that test, who not only won against her fellow domestic teammates but even stood out by creating a stunning record. “I think that was the moment where they were like, ‘Oh, okay, she’s fast,'” said the Ohio State graduate in the same segment. However, for those of you who think only being able to run fast is enough to turn you into a quality winger, take note of what Sears said next: “The running fitness and the game fitness are so different.”

That makes sense. You’d expect Usain Bolt to clinch gold on the track, but running with or without the ball in a soccer match and keeping up with the pace of the game would be a whole different challenge for him. Regardless, let’s hope Emma Sears can overcome this hurdle.