My Story
The Beginning
I was born in 2003 in a small town called Brattleboro in Vermont. Soon after, my family and I moved to Sahuarita, Arizona where I found my love of soccer. My brother played soccer, and I picked it up at the age of four after watching him. I joined my first team that was coached by my own mom. I like to think she taught me everything I know. After playing rec league for a few years, I joined my first competitive team where I met my best friend Mason. I also tried out for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) team every year but never made the squad. This didn't stop me, it made me work harder to try to prove those coaches that doubted me most. I played competitive club soccer for several years and those were the best years of my life, playing the game I love with my closest friends. I then got the news we were moving to Salem, Oregon. Which was very hard for me to leave everything behind but I was excited to start a new chapter in my life.
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We arrived in Oregon the summer of 2016, just before I started 7th grade. That was a difficult time for me because I was the new kid who carried a soccer ball everywhere. I dribbled home from school every day, soccer was always my second home and the best way for me to escape. I tried out for a team the first few days we were in our new house and made it. I was super excited to make this team which contained a lot of my school classmates. This soccer season was difficult because I had a coach that didn't believe in me and didn't play me much. I would come home so angry and at the end of the season I was ready to quit. This was also around the time my best friend Mason passed away. This was the hardest time of my life because I lost my best friend and wasn't enjoying soccer anymore. My team got a new coach and my dad became the assistant coach, and this helped regain my love for the game. Without my dad and Coach Danny I wouldn't be where I am today. I then started my high school career. I didn't play much freshman year, only scoring 1 goal. Sophomore year I was a starter and had a great year with 8 goals and 6 assists, and was also named second team all-conference. Junior year I had another great year with 8 goals and 6 assists and was named first team all-conference. My senior year was my breakout year with 14 goals and 5 assists, I was named first team all-conference and second team all-state. Over my years of high school soccer, I earned four player of the week honors. Graduating was a very hard time because I was very unsure of what I was going to do. I didn't have any serious offers and wasn't planning on continuing to play soccer. I had one last club soccer tournament in Florida with my team. I went and only played in one game because I got injured and was out the rest of the tournament. When I got home my coach contacted me and said a team in Ohio was interested in me from the tournament. I didn't think much of it and put my down payment to attend Oregon State University. My parents kept checking with me to make sure I was making the right choice and encouraged me to visit the school in Ohio. I agreed and went on a visit. I came back excited because I loved the team and the environment. It matched with me perfectly and I decided to attend for the 2022 season.
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Freshman year was tough, going to a new state I couldn't even point to on a map. The culture shock and the typical starting college jitters made it very tough at the start. It was the first time I had been away from my family, and it was a rough few weeks to get settled in, but my teammates made it so easy to get comfortable and made Wilmington feel like a second home. I came in hungry wanting that starting spot. I didn't get into the traveling roster for the first few games which angered me and motivated me to prove my coach wrong. It took me a few games to prove myself consistently in practice and I finally got my first collegiate opportunity. I played well and got some time in every game after that which helped my confidence. Then one practice in the middle of October I sprained my ankle really bad and tore three ligaments. I was devastated because I worked so hard to put myself in the squad rotation. All the late nights on the field, get togethers I would skip because I was training, felt like it was all a waste. A few conversations with my family helped motivate me to get back, better than ever, and I did just that. This was a very hard test for me, but I persevered and got through it. After about five months, I was back and that starting spot was mine. ​
Sophomore year started and I came in with a whole new level of confidence because I was performing well, and my ankle was much better. However, this was a rough year for the team overall as we had nine new starters including myself. I completed the season with 2 goals and 6 assists and got 4th in the conference for assists. As the season ended it showed me how much I wanted to win and go to the playoffs. I worked harder in the spring and summer than I ever had before.
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As Junior year started, I was excited and felt there was something special about this year's team, and I was right. We finished the season as the third highest scoring team in the country. The other two attackers and I were three of the most dangerous (highest scoring) players in the nation. We were involved in over 60 goals in the season. I had the best season I have ever had scoring 16 goals and tallying 4 assists. I was also first in the nation in goals per shot--I shot the ball 30 times and scored 16 goals which is 53% accuracy. It felt great to have a successful year, but losing in the first round of playoffs was not what we expected. So, in the off season I will get back to work and work harder than I ever have before to help bring home a national tournament championship for the first time in history for my school.
I never thought I would be in Ohio for school, but I am very glad I made that decision. My family moto is to live with courage, and it took courage to go to school across the country to a state where I had no family or friends. I have learned a lot and am very glad I chose to attend Wilmington College and look forward to what the future holds.