A good point about relationships by atlmom98 – we have found that coaches are looking to add a certain kind of kid to their program. There is a lot of talent out there, so they are also looking at players who will work well in their system, in their team culture. That comfort level with whether a player will mesh well, takes time. My kid follows his preferred teams on twitter, facebook, emails the coaches about good wins and losses and post-season play. He watched livestream matches when he could, to see how the team played, and evaluate how he could contribute. His attitude and diligence got him some good looks by teams that would otherwise seem way out of his recruiting league.
And @atlmom98 – congrats to your daughter!