Devon DeLaMater '16 Recruiting Profile

This season, 2015-2016 will bring great challenges as my club team has had wholesale player changes and has also been elevated to our club's Elite team in our age group, U17. With this distinction, In addition to Classic 1, we are now also playing in the South Atlantic Premier League (division of US Soccer Club National Premier League). Our NPL schedule is posted here.

My Academy and Select soccer coaches at Southern Soccer Academy have helped me develop technically and psychologically as a player. While my love for the game is instinctual, I am fortunate to have had great coaches who helped me read the game and engage as a goal keeper well beyond making saves. My coaches, especially Ryan McConnell, have fueled my passion and helped me continually strive to help my team through organizational and communication to minimize pressure on our goal and to maximize possession and counterattack opportunities.
Soccer has taught me to consider the big picture in life. While a single play can change the outcome of any game, how I play the game and who I play with is equally important. I have also learned to take responsibility for my performance. My coaches have helped me improve attention by engaging immediately from the start and to finish every game strong. I credit this focus to keeping my team in many games as we regularly faced stronger opponents that typically increased pressure (and shots on goal) to close out our games.
While academics are important to me, I have never been obsessed with grades and my GPA reflects this. Since being accepted into the International Studies Magnet Studies program at North Cobb High School, through my junior year, I have taken 5 Foreign Languages, 8 Honors Level Classes, 3 Magnet Classes and 4 AP College Classes. My senior year will include three 3 additional AP classes, 1 Honors class and another Foreign Language...Latin. Many of my peers have spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours with private tutors. Not me...I am proud of my education and that my accomplishments are my own. As I take my education to the next level, I hope to surround myself with authentic motivated students and professors and coaches who value the process of students' learning as much as they appreciate students' ability to regurgitate information.
One challenge I have learned to manage is ADHD. I began to understand at an early age that it is an important part of who I am, it's definitely part of my competitive drive, but also something I needed to be aware of due to the risk of losing focus during a game. I have learned to manage it by becoming somewhat hyper focused on the game and it actually helps me keep calm in high pressure situations.
I have my mother's genepool to thank for fantastic reflexes and my father's will remain calm under pressure. This combination helps me perform consistently no matter the circumstances. As much as I am proud of every tough save, stopping about 40% of PKs taken and numerous clean sheets, my favorite soccer stat is that I have made 14 out of 14 PK attempts taken in PK shootouts over the last 5 years.
Coach Ryan McConnell's Evaluation of Devon DeLaMater
"I've been fortunate enough to coach Devon for the last 5 years at Southern Soccer Academy. During that time Devon has developed into a tremendous goalkeeper. 

Devon's strengths are: 
Shot Stopping. Devon has good reactions and makes some great blocks. He's made some important saves for us over the years and has won us points singlehandedly in the past. He is also a great shot stopper with his feet - he makes some instinctive stops at his feet from close range! He also makes some great stops one on one. He stays big & makes the player make a decision & beat him. 

Devon is also very good and consistent on crossed balls. He is calm under pressure in set piece situations. He reads the flight of the cross well, adjusts his feet, protects himself & claims the ball 95% of the time. He very rarely spills the ball in those situations which takes the pressure off his team mates at set pieces. They trust he's going to make the right decision & come to claim it. 

Devon is also great with his feet and is one of the best passers on the team, he has a really sweet left foot. He is comfortable receiving back passes and his kicking from hands & from the ground is quality. 

Areas for improvement:
Devon needs to be more commanding and give his back four/ team mates more information and guidance during the game. I'm sure that part of his game will develop with time.

I recently moved clubs and I'm no longer in Devon's age group but the biggest compliment I can pay Devon is that I'd happily have him play in goal for me again no problem should the opportunity arise. I would have no concerns at all & know I have a quality GK between the sticks. He would be a great addition to any Collegiate soccer program in my opinion."
~ Ryan McConnell  cell: (404) 844-7494