christian Lopez '16 Recruiting Profile

Hello, I am 16 years old, a sophomore at Cals ECHS, my name is Christian Lopez, and I want to play college soccer after I graduate. I play multiple positions, such as: right and left defender, right and left wings, and forward. I have a GPA of 3.07. Before when I was at a low in my life, my grades were very low. With dedication and perseverance my GPA has grown, and is continuing to show improvement. My whole life I have been bullied, alone, and good at nothing... until things changed my 8th grade year. In my 8th grade year I lost weight which held me back from being athletic. I then joined AYSO, I was very happy at where I was in my life, and happy to be playing. After AYSO I joined the varsity as a freshman. I was the first freshman in my entire school to ever join the varsity team. I took advantage of the opportunity, I was mentored by the head coach who not just corrected my mistakes, but all around helped me improve... including: making me a better player and a better student academically, giving me hope that soccer could be my gateway into college. I started opening the books, studying, and working harder on the field. After varsity I went to play club at a “silver elite level” and then a “bronze level” both opportunities weren’t what I expected. During that time I played soccer I had no game, no confidence, and no one looking out for me. I was independent and lonely, but the only thing that kept me going was that I had Grit, and that was all I needed in order to succeed. The coaches and players I once played with would tell me that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t a soccer player and that I could never become one and be able to play college soccer. But I knew differently, I knew with dedication that I could reach the top and prove them wrong. Not only would I prove everyone who once doubted me wrong, i’d prove to myself that I am good enough no matter what anyone says. If i would’ve listened to everyone who once doubted me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I moved on, I put my mistakes behind me, came out of my shell by leaving that team, got a personal trainer, and worked on my confidence.

Moving on with my life, and bringing in the positives I joined a new club which I would soon figure out was the key to improving my confidence. Downtown Soccer Club was a lot better than other clubs. This club was a good fit for me, the coaches and staff encouraged and believed in me, instead of putting me down. The level of soccer in this club was more competitive and mentally a better fit for me. All throughout that club I had one goal: to physically and mentally get better. And that’s exactly what I did, I gained more confidence, and developed more love for the game than I ever imagined I could have. The personal trainer helped me very much by making my soccer skills improve. Without my personal trainer I wouldn’t be able to write this, due to the fact that I’d be on the bench Downtown. In Downtown we played in “Flight 1” which is one of the highest in Cal South soccer. During that season I had a lot of losses and was benched a few times because some teams were very good. But I didn’t let this get me down, I practiced even harder. I went from a benchwarmer to a leader on the team by showing my teammates we could win every game by playing with heart and giving it our all. After the season I continued to learn about the game of soccer, I don't play to compete, I play for myself, I work hard on the field, and having more confidence; becoming more technical and tactical. So you’re probably asking yourself what makes this kid special and why should you chose me? Here’s why: I am a sophomore who's turning my life around and continuing to do so, my GPA is able to qualify for any school division, and my GPA is continuing to grow. My soccer is getting better each day and after everything i’ve been through , I refuse to settle for good, I persevere for greatness... and I won’t stop at that. I’m chasing all my dreams, and not accepting defeat. I want to be able to go to college and disprove people who once told me I wasn’t any good, get a college degree and a masters degree, have a future, do better than my parents, and go to college and play college soccer because that’s what I aspire to do. This means I will work harder than anyone else, I can play many different positions, and I believe I will be able to represent the school respectfully and with pride, I will also benefit from this school better than any other college student athletes. Thank you for your time, I hope you get back to me.