Lucas Batista '21 Recruiting Profile

Soccer has been a passion of mine since I was three years old when my dad would sit me down beside him to watch professional games on TV.  Although I didn't know what was going on at the time, it certainly created the love for the game that I have today.  A team sport like soccer has allowed me to learn the value of communication on and off the field. Through the use of communication I have been able to give and receive constructive criticism from teammates allowing our team to become better as a whole.  As a goalkeeper, I have learned how to be the eyes of a team and I learned how important trust is.  My defense trusts me to be the eyes on the back of their heads and I trust them to listen to my instructions. These values of trust and communication have become a big part of me and I believe that I have become a better goalkeeper because of them.

I pride myself in not only becoming the best goalkeeper that I can be but also developing the best soccer I.Q. that I can. I watch many professional matches from different leagues across the globe to learn as much as possible about the game as a whole. I don't only watch the goalkeepers during the matches, I also watch to see how forwards make their runs, how midfielders look for a pass, and how defenders are able to read plays to dispossess the opposition. After watching, I apply what I saw to my own game so that I can know the game of soccer that much more. I believe that learning about the game is never over. Even the best in the world don't know every aspect of the beautiful game. My goal is to continue learning about soccer into college and beyond so that I can teach future generations just as my coaches have done for me.