Amani Green is a George Mason women's soccer defender from Baltimore whose Division I journey has taken her through Mount St. Mary's, East Carolina, Radford and George Mason. What makes that four-school path even more remarkable is how she has kept her academic work on track through every transition. Green earned Third Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament honors at Mount, sat out an injury-shortened year at East Carolina, then became the 2025 Big South Defender of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection at Radford. At Mason, she navigated a difficult credit-transfer process, completed four summer courses and carried six-course semesters while working toward a fall 2026 graduation. She was also named to the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. On The Sideline, Green explains the discipline behind her routine, why finishing her degree comes before professional soccer and how every stop has helped her keep growing.
Using the Transfer Portal to Keep Growing
Four soccer programs will jump off the page, but that number does not tell the real story. Amani did not use the NCAA transfer portal to run from competition or go after the next best deal. She used it to keep finding the coaching, role and level of play she needed to grow. Mount St. Mary's gave her a place to prove she belonged in Division I. After earning Third Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament honors, she entered the portal and heard from roughly 30 Division I programs within two days. East Carolina brought a bigger stage, but an injury forced her to learn who she was when soccer was taken away. Her next decision was not about chasing the biggest name. She chose Radford because she needed minutes, trust and a chance to rebuild her confidence. That choice produced Big South Defender of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors. Even then, she felt there was another level to reach and moved to George Mason. Her advice for athletes is simple: understand your worth, ask how a program values you as both a player and a person, study the scholarship and degree path, and choose the environment that fits what you need next.
How Training With the Boys Raised Her Level
One of the biggest jumps in Amani's game began when she started training with male players who competed professionally overseas. They were stronger, faster and gave her less time to make every decision. At first, that pace showed her exactly how much work remained. So she kept training, kept running and repeated the work until the game started to click. The results followed during her sophomore season at Mount, when she earned all-conference and all-tournament recognition. She still plans to return to that same kind of training after her George Mason season because a professional opportunity can arrive quickly and she wants to be ready. The lesson for younger players is not that every session has to look the same. It is that real growth often starts when you train outside your comfort zone. If the players around you are faster and stronger, you have to read the field sooner, play quicker and raise your own standard.
Four Athletic Programs Later, Education Still Comes First
Here is the part of Amani's story that may be the most impressive. Four schools meant four sets of requirements, multiple credit evaluations and one especially difficult transition into George Mason. When not every credit followed her, she changed her major to Integrative Studies with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Development, completed four summer classes, took six classes in the spring and carried another six in her final fall semester. She still earned a place on the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. Her routine explains how. Every day at 6:30 p.m., an alarm on her phone tells her it is time for homework. She finishes what is due and works ahead whenever she can. Amani considered going overseas after Radford, but her parents reminded her that professional soccer would still be there and the degree needed to come first. She expects to graduate in fall 2026 before pursuing professional opportunities in the United States or abroad.
Homework Has a Set Time
A 6:30 p.m. alarm on her phone marks the start of homework every day. Green uses it to make sure every assignment is submitted and often works ahead so her recovery days can actually feel like days off.
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Amani Green · The Sideline
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Amani Green on The Sideline
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How To Dominate D1 Women's Soccer | The Sideline w/ Amani Green
George Mason defender Amani Green explains using the transfer portal for growth, training with male professionals and keeping education first across four programs.
