“I’ve been playing soccer for 14 years.
I’ve been a captain for the past three years on varsity. This year, I’ve been playing in a more attack-minded position as left-wing back, but in past years, I’ve played the central defender position.
My dad played soccer in high school, so he was the one who decided to put me on a team. When I realized that I really enjoyed soccer, I decided to play competitively. I joined a club when I was probably 10 years old, and since then, I’ve been playing club soccer and traveling for competitions and tournaments.
Every player has a different routine. My routine is usually taking a nap right before a game, and then I’ll take a moment to listen to some music and visualize what I’m going to do on the field before I get on the field.
I started doing it after I received some advice from sports psychologists saying that having a set routine before games helps you feel consistent and confident. Those are my three steps — take a nap, listen to music and do some visualizing. The first step is to relax and stay calm. The second step is to get me excited and passionate. The third step gets me prepared for potential situations that I would face in the game.
I wasn’t in the soccer program my freshman year. Not only was I new to varsity in my sophomore year, but I was also just new to the program in general. I was seen a little bit as unknown to the players. They already had built relationships with each other, and I was just a new guy who joined varsity. But with the situation that we dealt with as a team that season, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. There was a need for somebody to step up and be a leader, and the coach just chose me to do that.
The playoff game against Elsik was a really exciting game. It’s probably one of the best games that our team has played, and I think I played really well. I scored a goal in the game. It shocked everybody that we were able to make it that far into the playoffs, so that’s what made it special.
I’ve been playing club soccer competitively all four years of high school, so I alternate between the club and high school season. It’s actually really different.
In club, the level is higher than in high school because those players all want to play collegiate soccer. They’re the type of players who practice three hours a day outside of practice. That environment is a bit more daunting because I have to compete harder to stand out and to get selected to play in the games on the weekend. There is a competitiveness between players that I think high school doesn’t have, where I can help the team and continue to have an impact.
I’ll continue playing club at Duke University. My dad is my biggest supporter and, of course, gives me the most feedback and criticism, but he’s the person whose opinion I value most in soccer. Even though he didn’t play soccer at a very high level, his feedback is more valuable to me than any other coach.
What makes soccer special to me is that it’s given me a break from the stressful things that I deal with in life, such as school. When I play soccer, I don’t think of anything else but the pure enjoyment that I have. I’ve enjoyed every moment that I’ve been able to play soccer during high school, and I don’t regret the commitments that I’ve made to it, even if I’m not going to play in college.”
