Palmer Braunstein '20 Recruiting Profile

As a kid I played all types of sports, football, baseball, basketball, you name it I probably have tried to play it or have played it. But no sport has affected or molded me into the person I am today more than soccer has. All throughout my life sports and athletics have always been present. Whether through my parents or my friends, I have always been pushed to play or compete. I have always had the drive to be the best at whatever challenge that has been put in front of me, whether on or off the field. But soccer has been one of the toughest challenges that have ever been put in front of me because it tested my mental strength more than any sport.

While playing sports I have always had a safety net to fall back on, whether it be my dad being the coach, me being comfortable with the team, or even some silly or crazy superstition that I would do before the game. Soccer has been such an influencing factor in my life because it was the first time I had to step out of my comfort zone and really be an individual. I wasn't the best on the field, nor did I have the strongest soccer IQ on the team but it was generally a great experience. I found a love for a new game and a passion that I as an athlete or person had never seen in myself before. Last school season was the first year without the starting ten seniors who really built and grew the soccer program over the years prior, so it forced my teammates and me to take leadership and control of the team. Without having a strong senior class, it really pushed me to be more confident on and off the field. It was the first time in my life that people depended on me, rather than me depending on someone else. This leadership role comes with my position on the field, I play keeper so I have to be in command and a leader or else my team will not be organized. Playing keeper is a lot more of your mental strength rather than your physical because one split-second decision can lead to a goal and possibly your team losing. As a keeper, you have to be okay with making mistakes and have the confidence to play without that fear because if you are timid and shy in the goal, players take advantage of it. Playing keeper has shaped me into so much more than I would have ever thought I would become.

Soccer has made me into a completely different person than I would have been without it. Being a keeper has made me into a leader by forcing me to take control of the team, it has given me confidence on and off the field to just be myself. Being on a team-taught me the lesson that it is okay to make mistakes because you will have people to help pick you back up when you are down. Soccer taught me that life is not about who won the most region games or who has the best skills on the field but the memories you have with your teammates and the experiences that you can take and apply in your life. Soccer has truly changed my life in more ways than one and I am truly thankful.