Nathanael Paul '24 Recruiting Profile

     Hello! My name is Nathanael, but my teammates and coaches call me Nate. I am 14 years old and will soon start my freshman year at South Park High School. I am excited to play soccer throughout my high school career and to continue my journey playing for the Riverhounds in the off season. My passion for soccer began at 8 years old. It took only one game for me to realize that this is a sport that I will happily embrace as a part of who I am. I was so invested in soccer when I first played, I would watch World Cups and practice the moves I thought I could master. Eventually, when I was 10 years old my coach saw my determination and recommended me to stop playing recreationally and start playing in more of a competitive atmosphere. Century F.C. seemed like a great fit for me and fortunately at 9 years old, I made the 2006 team. In a few months I was advanced to the 2005 team and my passion for soccer continued to soar. With this in mind, I joined the travel team for South Park when I was 10 years old. My team went undefeated in my first season, an accomplishment I am still proud of today. In 2017, my Century team won the Columbus Cup and I  continued to practice hard because I love to win and I want to share that feeling as much as I can with my team. The next year, we won again at the Potomac Memorial tournament! After these wins, I wanted to push myself harder and play at the academy for our professional Pittsburgh team-the Riverhounds. When I was growing up, I attended many of their games and had the desire to represent this team as an academy player. I started to take part in summer camps that they held and I was ecstatic when a former Riverhound player complimented me on my quick feet and how coachable I was on the field. I decided to attend the winter camp and made the team when I was 13 years old. When my team and I played our second tournament in Harrisburg at the Penn F.C. Youth Coppa Classico, we proudly took home second place. I was so dedicated to this franchise, I volunteered to play for a second team-Riverhounds East when they were in need of more players. I felt so accomplished playing for 2 teams and was so grateful to have the opportunity to  travel every weekend, making memories with my teammates who became friends. I still play for the Riverhounds and will continue throughout my high school career, while also playing for my high school team. I am excited to learn more about the sport and chase victory with my teammates by my side. 

     Soccer has taught me that in order to feel like a winner, hard work and determination are key values that also need to be applied to school. With this mindset I have made high honor roll all four years of middle school and will continue to strive for that achievement throughout my high school years. History is a subject that I sometimes struggle in, but I recognize some classes require more work than others and I have the ability to recognize that and I will work hard to receive a grade that I can be satisfied with. Group projects are implemented in the curriculum quite frequently and I learned I am a great leader. I usually assign parts of the project so everyone pulls their weight to be fair and I make sure the project is at its best. I take my education very seriously and I am proud of the grades I earn. In high school, I plan to join National Honors Society to continue to grasp as much knowledge as I can.

     Even though college will be years from now, I know I will choose the one that fits best for not only my career, but soccer as well. My goal is to take pre-med classes so I can apply to med school after college. I have always had the desire to help people in any way I can. I will work hard in being a great soccer player and student so I can be a positive addition to my college and future teammates.