Hayden Savage '24 Recruiting Profile

When I played recreational soccer at 5 years old, every team and player won no matter the final score of the game. I would come off the field asking my parents who really won the game.  When I joined my first travel team at seven years old, I was ecstatic at my first tournament to find out that the medals actually said what place your team finished. They didn't hand out medals for merely participating. But as I grew up, I realized that there are a lot more factors to the game than winning or how many goals I scored.  I learned to work as a teammate and leader. I learned that communication, spatial awareness, and aggression are just as important as foot skills, something I once thought was the only thing you needed to be a good soccer player. I also learned how important leadership, communication, and responsibility are off the field. I am now a junior at Nyack High School and captain of the varsity team as well as a starter for my travel team. I try to set an example for the younger players by always being the first to arrive at practice and staying late to help my teammates and coaches.  Over the years I have learned that helping a teammate shake off a mistake is just as important as cheering for her after scoring a goal. The work ethic that I bring to soccer carries over into other aspects of my life.  I maintain a full course load of AP and honors classes, am president of the Interact club,  work part-time, volunteer with Baking Memories 4 Kids, and play varsity lacrosse.  I continue to challenge myself and push my limits everyday as a student and player on and off the field.