Alexander Koch '18 Recruiting Profile

My Mother is from England and a great deal of the way I think is from her, we grew up with English customs being a general way of life.  Soccer was a huge part of our lives on the weekends watching the Premier League players on TV and learning the ways of the game.
At the age of 4 my parents signed me up to play soccer at the YMCA as a way to focus my energy on something I already loved. My Dad volunteered to coach using his years of playing the game in the Catholic leagues in St. Louis where he grew up. I spent 4 years with my Dad at the Y learning skills, rules, shape and the importance of team dynamics.
I have learned a lot about myself as I have grown up playing soccer. I am an extremely motivated person and can often be found at the field working on my individual game outside of my team practices. I am equally passionate about my grades and have maintained a 6.2 GPA through high school so far.
Soccer has taught me that life is easier when you work with others as a team to achieve a goal. Everyone has his or her individual talents and weaknesses but with the right team you can achieve anything.
I want to continue to excel in high school academically and continue into college life. I am undecided on a major at this time but I am looking at Kinesiology or another sports related career. I enjoy working with children and could see myself coaching and teaching in the future. 
Being left footed is a blessing for some, I did find that it meant as I moved up to the top club level I was moved out of the center forward position that I had played for years to assist the team on the left. The move to left midfield was difficult to learn after spending so much time in the center, I took it as an opportunity to learn. I knuckled down and studied hard and become quite proficient at it.
Although I realized the additional skills honed during this time were invaluable to my overall skills, I desperately wanted to get back to the striker position.  To achieve this I felt that I would have to earn the position so I spent the better part of a summer when I was 13 with one of the trainers at a select club learning to use my right foot as well as my left. The hard work paid off that fall when I was able to secure the striker position as well as moving to either midfield position depending on the teams needs during a particular game.
I am an impact player who can place a ball on the striker’s foot for a finish as well as shoot with equal power and accuracy with either foot. I have the endurance to defend and attack as a right or left midfielder and have a keen understanding of the game while in play. I am very vocal and will attack the goal until the ball finds the back of the net.
 
I have had several Club trainers over the years and have always approached their teachings as an empty cup ready to be filled. As a new trainer takes over the team for whatever reason, I keep what has worked for me from the previous trainer and incorporate the new ideas from the current one. A day without learning and progressing in the game or academics is a day wasted.
 
Thank you, for looking at my profile and I look forward to speaking to you about playing at your University.