Eli Nelson '20 Recruiting Profile

Soccer for me, is a sport that demands a will to succeed. Someone who wants to play at a higher level cannot stay stagnant, but must improve every single day. This immense drive has led me to focus on soccer day in and day out, training on and off the field.

In retrospect, the reason for this profound drive to be the best soccer player I could be came during my Junior year of high school. This was the year where we had just recently lost nine seniors, and at a small school, that was the bulk of our team. Now, with eight freshman and only two seniors, I opted to step up and take a leadership position. As a captain, I led the team to our best season, record-wise, in a multitude of years, but we were defeated in the first round of Districts. This devastating loss to a team that was so young pushed me to increase my skills as much as possible, so that next season ends differently.

As a person, I strongly believe that those around me come before myself, and the team always comes before the individual. Teamwork and sportsmanship are expectations; being the best person I can be trumps being a great soccer player. When I play on a soccer team, I don’t want my teammates to look at me as a great individual player; I want them to see a great teammate who leads the team selflessly. The groundwork for my character comes from my faith in Christ, and my actions follow his example.