My Soccer Story: Baliegh Bruster
The Duke defender aspires to be a doctor in the future
There was a time when the story of Baleigh Bruster's soccer career was almost too good to be true. A regular in U.S. youth national team camps, the current Duke defender would have people tell her how good she was and not think much of it.
“I have really high standards for myself, and I would say that my story up until college was very picturesque, like picture-perfect, with going to camps for five years and being on a really competitive club team," Bruster, who just finished her junior season, said. "I didn’t really face that much adversity. It was kind of smooth sailing.”
When she went to youth national team camps, Bruster would raise her intensity level to compensate for the increased level of competition. No one else may have been able to notice it, but Bruster was aware of the mentality shift that took place.
“I learned how to flip on a switch when I went there, and then when I’d go home, I’d flip it off and just be on cruise control," she said. "For some reason, that was never a problem. I was still a great player for my club. I wouldn’t say I was mentally extremely locked in.”
Bruster's older sister, Kayla, who was selected by the San Diego Wave in the 2022 NWSL Draft, convinced her to give the sport a try. She was soon placed on teams in older age groups and believes soccer played a crucial role in her early maturation.
Competing against older kids also accelerated Bruster’s development as a player.
“I think that me being with older girls kind of my whole younger career made me progress in ways that I would have never been able to do on my own," she said.
When it came time to pick a college, Bruster wanted one that would fulfill both her athletic and academic aspirations. She ultimately chose Duke over UCLA and USC because she felt she’d be challenged both athletically and academically.
Just seven games into her college career, Bruster tore her ACL against archival North Carolina. The injury ended her season.
“I had a hard time accepting that it happened because I’ve always thought of myself as invincible," she said. "Before I came to college, I didn’t have any injuries … I wasn’t even thinking about running yet at one point. I just wanted to be able to walk and be with my peers and classmates.”
As difficult as the physical rehab was, the mental side of the recovery was just as challenging.
“I felt like I didn’t even remember who I was before the injury," Bruster said. "I felt like the injury became a part of me. I was the girl who tore her ACL. I was the girl who was going through ACL recovery. It was kind of hard to detach myself from that identity and remember that I was great before it happened.”
She returned to the field in 2022 with a newfound appreciation for the sport and played in 12 games as the Blue Devils came within one game of reaching the College Cup. Bruster appeared in 15 of Duke's 16 regular-season games in 2023, starting 14 of them.
When she thinks about the rest of her Duke career, one word comes to mind: impact.
“I want to be able to get to that point where I am known and my impact is great and I’m a consistent, key player," Bruster said. "A reliable player for my teammates. I would say leaving my mark on my college as well instead of just having all my accolades from when I was younger.”