TAMPA – After an unconventional college playing career, Polk State Soccer midfielder Kiana Kropp has taken a significant step toward playing professionally.

Kropp is amid a three-week tryout with Tampa Bay Sun Football Club, a professional team in the Gainbridge Super League. When the three weeks expire on March 2, Kropp hopes to earn a contract or an extension to continue training with the team.

"Playing professionally has been a dream of mine since I was 13," Kropp said. "It's by far the highest level of competition that I've been a part of. Being part of a professional team, it has been friendlier and more welcoming than I would have expected. Being able to be part of a professional environment has grown my confidence – not only as a player but as a person."

Instant impact

A native of Plant City and a member of Head Coach Dee Shivraman's first Polk State team in 2023, Kropp made an immediate impact. Named a member of the program's leadership council, Kropp scored the first goal of Shivraman's tenure in a 3-0 win at Florida National University JV to open the year.

"I knew she could play at a really high level," Shivraman exclaimed. "She has a high soccer IQ and was committed to getting better every day. She comes from a soccer family with her brothers having played and her father coaching."

One of just three Polk State players to start all 15 matches in 2023, Kropp finished with a goal and three assists as the Eagles finished 9-5-1 in Shivraman's first season. For the 2024 season, however, Kropp tended to responsibilities even greater than those that come with being a student-athlete.

A role bigger than soccer

Following her freshman year, Kropp and her husband, Justin Franco, became parents to a baby girl named Ila. As she became a wife and mother, Kropp was unsure whether her soccer career would continue.

"The year away was hard," Kropp recalled. "I didn't want my career to end abruptly. I didn't know if college was still applicable. I had to see what I could still do."

Just prior to the start of fall practice ahead of the 2025 season, Kropp reached out to Shivraman to see if she could rejoin the team. Shivraman was out of scholarships, but his response was a resounding yes. Although technically a walk-off this past season, Kropp was able to receive enough financial assistance to help mitigate the cost of college.

"Having a child is a life-changing experience even for older adults, much less a young couple just starting out," Shivraman said. "When she called and had an interest in coming back, I was thrilled. Entering the preseason, she – despite being a new mom – was better conditioned physically than everyone else."

Kropp's decision to return to Polk State and the soccer program was one that she didn't make alone. She and her family spent months contemplating whether a return was feasible. Working part-time as a server, Kropp would routinely run into people that she had met through soccer.

"When people would come into where I was working, coming back to play soccer always came up and I felt like it was God telling me that it wasn't over," Kropp reflected. "My husband has been super gracious in willing to take on a bigger burden. I'm so grateful for him, my family and the Polk State coaching staff. I wouldn't be here without their support."

For Shivraman, the situation was not completely unfamiliar. When he coached at Schoolcraft College in Michigan, he had a player named Margaret Mayer, who returned to college after more than a decade out of soccer. Mayer, who began her collegiate career at the University of Toledo in 1995, was recognized as a first-team NJCAA All-American in 2007 as Schoolcraft reached the national NJCAA Tournament.

"I saw what Margaret accomplished early on during my time at Schoolcraft," Shivraman explained. "Kiana had a similar skillset. If Margaret could do it, I knew Kiana could do it, too."

Playing for those who supported her

When Kropp first arrived at Polk State in 2023, she was just months removed from high school. As a redshirt sophomore, wife and mother in 2025, Kropp found herself in a different place in life, but remained an asset to the program. In 15 matches and 13 starts, Kropp registered three goals and three assists, finishing fourth on the team in points (9).

"Entering my sophomore season, I had to be more focused and mentally present," Kropp exclaimed. "I wanted to get better and do better in school, because I knew this might be my last chance. So many people had sacrificed so much for me to have this opportunity. I was playing for them as well as myself. Having the responsibilities I have at a young age forced me to mature."

In addition to the pitch, Kropp also performed in the classroom. Kropp arrived at Polk State with an Associate in Arts degree. She enrolled in Polk State's Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management Program and currently holds a 3.1 grade-point average.

"I'm elated to have been able to play a small part in her story," Shivraman said. "For her to make it this far is incredible. From our coaching staff to the advisors to her professors, there were a lot of people behind the scenes who helped her be successful at Polk State."

As Kropp looks to make her professional dream come true, she offered advice for young parents.

"The hardest thing was figuring out a schedule," she concluded. "Finding time and a support system of people to build you up is really critical. It's not easy but it's worth it. This is a life-defining moment for me. I'm proud of the friends and connections I've made and all the people I've got to meet along the way."