Determinants of Match Play’s Top-End Sprint Speed from Female Collegiate Soccer Players
Victoria Wood, Greta Cesarz, Kristi King, John F. Caruso · Research in Strength and Performance · 2026
Introduction: Top-end sprint speed is a potential determinant of match play performance in collegiate soccer yet, to date, little is known about its predictors among female athletes. This study’s
Aim: is to examine the extent to which body mass, fat mass-to-fat-free mass ratio, estimated maximal aerobic speed, and player position predict top-end sprint speed in collegiate women’s soccer athletes, with data for the dependent variable collected from match play.
Methods: Body mass, fat mass-to-fat-free mass ratio, estimated maximal aerobic speed, player position, and top-end sprint speed data were obtained from athletes (n = 34) on a university’s women soccer team. The first three variables were collected as part of standard athlete test procedures throughout the soccer season. Global positioning system data, analyzed with proprietary software, quantified top-end sprint speed from match play. Multiple linear regression assessed how well the predictor variables correlated with top-end sprint speed variance.
Results: With an α < 0.05 to denote
Significance: , multiple linear regression revealed the independent variables did not correlate (F = 0.52; p = 0.79) to significant amounts of top-end sprint speed variance.
Conclusions: The current study predictor variables failed to correlate with significant amounts of top-end sprint speed variance. Factors that possibly contributed to the model’s failure include using laboratory-based test variables to predict a dependent variable derived from in-game performance, and environmental (weather) conditions during match play.