On February 1, a handful of Legacy players signed their National Letter of Intent, which finalizes where they will be playing the sport they love at the college level. 

Starting today, and over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring these amazing Legacy senior high schoolers who will be making the jump to the next level! This week we spoke to Mia Martinez and Ashton Huppert.

Mia, from Phoenix, has been with Legacy for the past three seasons. She attends Chandler High School and cites beating Xavier in the first round of the playoffs in her sophomore year as a memorable moment. For Ashton's interview scroll down. 

Legacy: How has Legacy helped you become the player you are?
Martinez: Legacy has helped me grow to be the player I am today because all my coaches have pushed me to be the best I can be and helped me take my soccer career to the next level and I'm grateful for all the life lessons they've taught me. 

Legacy: Why did you select Mesa Community College?
Martinez: I choose Mesa Community College because I wanted to focus more on my schooling the first 2 years of college, but still wanted to play soccer, and I know girls that play there as well. I think coach Drew Guarneri is a good coach and when he took me on tour he seemed like a really good guy that could teach me more about soccer. 

Legacy: What are you looking forward to the most in college?
Martinez: What I'm looking forward to most about going to college is just taking the next step in my life. Becoming an adult and being able to take more responsibility for myself and making big choices that will make me who I am.

Legacy: Do you have any advice for Legacy players looking to play in college?
Martinez: My advice for younger Legacy players is that it doesn't matter what team you're on or if you don't think that you're good enough to play in college because there is a place for everyone to play in college. All you have to do is work hard, play hard, but most importantly keep your grades up.

Ashton is from Gilbert, and one of the few people who has spent her entire life in Arizona. She joined Legacy prior to her freshman year at Hamilton High School. Her memorable moment was last year when her high school team (Hamilton) made it all the way to the 6A Division 1 State Championship match where they were runner ups. 

Legacy: How has Legacy helped you become the player you are?
Huppert: Playing at Legacy has been an awesome experience, and without all of the coaches and support I have there I wouldn't be the player I am today. The goalkeeping program specifically is the best in the state, and there's no place I'd rather have trained for the past 4 years.

Legacy: Why did you select Pacific Lutheran University?
Huppert: I picked PLU because they have a great record in the Northwest Conference and NCAA, while also balancing tough academics. A lot of my family lives in the Seattle area, so when I got offered the opportunity to play near them for my next few years I knew it was the place for me.  

Legacy: What are you looking forward to the most in college?
Huppert: I'm looking forward to new experiences in college. I'll be in a different state with new teammates and classes so I'm excited to get out of my comfort zone a bit. I also get the opportunity to study abroad at Oxford during my time at PLU so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Legacy: Do you have any advice for Legacy players looking to play in college?
Huppert: My advice to anyone at Legacy looking to play in college would be to just continue working hard and getting your name out there. Narrow down some schools where you could see yourself going and introduce yourself to the head and assistant coaches. Don't get caught up in what division the school is, just focus on your personal expectations and needs for college, not anyone else's.