Joe Bernasconi '23 Recruiting Profile

Soccer is a huge part of my life and has been since the first time a ball was placed at my feet. I will be graduating with the class of 2023 and have played on the Souhegan High School varsity team since I was a freshman.  Throughout my long journey of playing soccer, I have played almost every position on the pitch besides goalkeeper. This has really helped me develop the diverse skills and aspects of the game; passing, finishing, and defending which is why I think I fell in love with the midfield position. In the midfield, I feel all those pieces come together and this is where I can most provide the greatest impact for my team. 

I am a strong believer in giving everything I have in all aspects of my life.  Anything that I do, I do 100%. Some attributes that are very important to me as a player are being coachable, a positive teammate and leader, and setting goals for myself that will push me to be better. If you get to know me, you will find very quickly that I take constructive criticism, from a coach or a teammate, as an opportunity to improve  and  I will work harder than anyone to do so. It doesn’t matter if you tell me I’m too slow, because next time you see me I’ll be faster. If you tell me I’m too small, I accept I might not be the tallest person on the field and I will never be able to change that but I can work on my strength and that is exactly what I will do. I work to exceed expectations in all that I do, whether those expectations are set by a coach, teammate, or myself. I feel that school and academics play a huge role off the pitch. Being a top student athlete has always been the most important thing to me because no matter how good I am on the field, if I can’t show the same results in a classroom then I am not truly succeeding. I am looking for a college or university that will challenge me both athletically and academically.  

Being a leader is another huge part of my life. In everything that I do, I try to stand out as someone to look up to. Connecting with my teammates as a family, and not just a group of players is everything to me. As a leader, I try to create and support those bonds by getting my  team together off the pitch. This allows me to help provide effective feedback and help my team. I am not afraid to tell someone if they made a mistake or have an opportunity to improve, and over the years and with lots of practice I have found the right balance of constructive criticism and encouragement.  My teammates understand that I am only pushing them to be better than me and themselves. I don’t need to be in the spotlight on the field because I know as a leader that as long as I am doing my job and creating the same opportunities for everyone else, we will succeed as a team.