@Mwfan1921, the reason that I recommend an early start for the OP is that height could be an issue, and that issue will not change as the student grows older. This allows an early exit to recruiting if coaches are not encouraging. That said, the OP should be aware of coach double speak that encourages an application but not (at least in the coach’s view) recruiting. Phrases like, “you could try out if you get in” is a coach’s way of discouraging a recruit.
I go back to the point that goalkeeping is a bit different than recruiting for field players, and you just don’t know how things are going to shake out. An early visit could establish a relationship that could resulting in recruiting if a coach can’t find another keeper or a recruit commits elsewhere. I do agree that it would be early for the rising sophomore summer for a student to get any sort of “firm” encouragement or commitment at the D3 level, but you might be able to discern a program’s projected need or lack of need.
There are other reasons for an early start. It gets a student thinking about the future (often needed more for boys). An early visit to campus should include a sign-in with admissions that should trigger the “demonstrated interest” category of an application. It allows a student to cross off a school that she just doesn’t like. Athlete or not, traveling around to visit schools is a big lift, and if soccer is a fall sport in high school, it is very tough in the fall of senior year.
If the OP has no appetite for an early start, certainly 1) filling out recruiting questionnaires and 2) sending tapes to coaches is a reasonable start. Be sure to create a spread sheet of each school, the dates you contacted and received a contact from coaches, and the log ins to the questionnaires to allow easy updates as new information comes to light (awards, board scores, etc.). Keeping track of contacts is crucial because silence can mean a lot in recruiting. Coaches rarely say, “I am no longer interested in you.” A sudden stop in or a long absence in communications, however, may mean just that. When sending out tapes, be sure to ask specific questions about what the coach thinks about the performance on the tapes. A lot of coaches will thank you for the tapes and then just put the student on a mailing list for camps.