Zachary Daniels '14 Recruiting Profile

Currently I am 5'11. I weigh 160 pounds. I have been playing the position of goalkeeper since I was 10 years old. In high school I have lettered as a member of the varsity soccer team in each of my four (4) years. I have been the starting goalkeeper for the varsity team for the past three (3) years. For the Fall of 2011 I was selected as 2nd Team All-Star for the Wyoming Valley Conference. I was the only goalie and sophmore to be named to the 2nd team.In both my junior and senior years, I was named 1st Team All-Star. Our team, seeded no. 2,  just won the PIAA District II title defeating the no. 1 seeded team and we are now going on to States. It is the first time my high school ever participated in the District Championship game. Our overall record was 16-4 and my goals against average thus far this year has been 1.1 goals per game with six clean sheets. I was recently named as 1st team goalkeeper for the Times-Leader newspaper's All Conference Team.

Outside of high school I am currently playing on 2 club teams. The one team is very active in tournaments across PA, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York. My other club team plays in the Lehigh Valley Soccer League. I believe I bring to any team leadership, hard work, motivation, and dedication. I was elected as a captain of the varsity team as a sophmore, junior and senior. I have noticed that throughout my soccer career I have always been able to motivate my teammates even when we are down in a game. I always try to encourage and motivate and I will never tell a teammate they played poorly; or let the team down. I feel that does nothing but hurt my teammates's confidence. I will however tell them what they can improve on or offer constructive criticism. My hard work and dedication comes to play during practice and a game. I hope this sets a good example for my team. I also work hard off the field with my studies, maintain a 96% average and I am a member of the National Honor Society. I am also a member of the Steering Committee. I also recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.

After a game I am usually hard on myself. I am never happy with my performance even if we win and I have a clean sheet. I am always looking to improve and listen to others' criticism after a game. It has been my dream for the longest time to play soccer in college. I am looking for a small to medium size school with a competitive academic level. The division is up in the air because I am pushing for a D2 school if possible, however, I would be happy with a school with a good academic program and almost any chance to play in college.

I plan on majoring in secondary education with a minor in special education, with a goal of becoming a high school social studies teacher.  Thank you for your consideration.