Hariot Medve '25 Recruiting Profile

I started playing club soccer for Calgary Blizzards in the summer of 2020 (12 years old). Before joining club, I participated in community soccer at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association (HSCA) from the age of 3. Ever since joining club, I've been motivated and driven to achieve a bigger goal, which is to ultimately play in a professional women's soccer league. However, I'm merely in the first year of my high school career, so my more feasible goal is to play post secondary women's soccer in the U.S. 

I think words to describe myself would include trustworthy, charismatic, funny, and independent. Soccer has taught me that you have to work for what you really want, and that work does pay off. The same goes for academics. School was always a priority growing up. Being one of three kids between a single mother, I learned I didn't necessarily have access to my mom to help me with my school work all the time. Between her working, volunteering at school events and taking the three of us to sports, I learned to adjust and become an efficient, independent, driven kid. In terms of soccer I think I've developed quickly. Over the course of the last 6 seasons I've played club, I advance two tiers in a matter of 2 seasons. Ive been researching about post secondary sport since the eighth grade, always planning ahead. I  never really participated in other sports when I was younger besides ice skating briefly. I've stuck to soccer since. However, I am in fact a Knight for Queen Elizabeths senior varsity volleyball team. Since I play indoor and outdoor soccer year round, I'm not sure how I managed an extra three months of volleyball on top.

Outside of soccer and school, I enjoy cooking, playing volleyball, running, biking, and swimming. I love being outside with friends so the summer break is my favourite part of the year. Running as early as 6 a.m. by the Bow River, or swimming until 10 p.m. at my local outdoor pool is what I look forward to when the weather is warm! As well as being active, I like to cook with my mom, and watch movies (horror movies to be exact). Relaxing with friends and family is always a treat.

Back to soccer...

In a more recent turn of events, over my provincial tournament in August of 2022, I completely pulled and partially tore my right hamstring. I couldn't train for two months before I slowly reintegrated running back into my life. I had to work harder than ever and I wasn't even on the pitch. It took a huge mental toll and I lost a lot of my motivation. Fast forward a few months into the indoor season and I've grown from the experience. I recovered better than I thought I would have once I was back to training, and I'm finally back to my normals 7-day per week soccer.

I have also been lucky enough to travel to the UK to enhance my soccer career. Over the course of ten days, my team and I flew into London, and stayed in Leicester to play against some local semi-professional women's teams. We watched three professional mens soccer matches -- one of which was Manchester City V. Aston Villa and Etihad Stadium --, trained with LCFC on multiple occasions, and had a couple very fun nights out exploring as a team. From the moment we played our first game, to the moment we started packing our bags for the long flight home, I felt like I had discovered a new part of soccer. I have had previous opportunities to travel inside Canada and the US for tournaments over the seasons, but the atmosphere and positivity we all felt in Leicester was surreal. My team and I grew a stronger connection as a group of girls and never failed to make each other laugh. The experience made me realize what amazing things soccer can bring into my life, and I've got a much longer journey ahead of me.