Erickson Richard '19 Recruiting Profile

When I was in 8th grade, I watched my soon to be High School's field hockey team win the Connecticut State Championship. It was one of the most exciting, fast-paced field hockey games I had ever watched and I knew at that moment I wanted to play at that level. The Patriot's head coach, Bill Belichick has a saying, "Do your job!" and I realized that every one of those girls did exactly that, for the betterment of their team, they did their job. They were unselfishly determined to win that game, and I wanted to be part of that tradition going forward. When it came time for tryouts the following fall, I had worked hard, attended numerous training camps, and had done my best to prepare for the challenge of being considered for the varsity squad. I was thrilled to make the varsity team and was the first player off the bench. I was fortunate enough to score the game-winning goal that year during the SCC quarterfinals against our school rival. These amazing experiences taught me that staying dedicated, working hard and doing my job as a teammate on and off the field are critical. This was even more apparent my Sophomore year which ended up being a year of heartache, challenges, and growth. I became a starter and was the high scorer that season, scoring 12 of our teams 47 goals. After losing one of our best players to an injury, we struggled to win against our biggest rivals, losing to Cheshire (3-1) and Branford (2-1). The beginning of the season looked grim, but we continued to work hard and never gave up. So when we played each of those team again, we "did our jobs" on the field and tied Cheshire (1-1) and beat Branford (2-0). I was happy to score in some of those pivotal moments during the season; including the tying goal against Cheshire, one of the two goals against Branford, and in our semi-final game, I scored the winning goal to advance my team to the next round. I was able to be part of what felt like a family; working hard and challenging ourselves every step of the way. The leadership, teamwork, and commitment I have learned these past two seasons have been and will continue to be invaluable. The skills I have learned have allowed me to be a good teammate, a powerful forward and they have prepared me to excel as a student-athlete at a higher level.

I am looking for a program that will be a great fit academically and athletically. I value my education as much, if not more than my experience as an athlete. I feel that I would be a strong asset to any college team because I play and practice hard, I am a leader and I believe in giving the team, my coaches, and my teachers my very best every single day. As a three-sport athlete, I know I have what it takes to compete at the college level and be a leader on my team.  Thank you.  Erickson Richard