David Esser III '16 Recruiting Profile

I am a student athlete. My goal is to be a part of strong school and college community where I can get a solid liberal arts education and be part of a solid, competitive program soccer program. Competitively I have played many different sports, including baseball, basketball, Gaelic football, hurling, and of course soccer. I am drawn to soccer because of the fast pace and fluid nature of the sport. For 90 minutes the game moves with limited interruption. Its continuous chess a match where to be successful you have to have strong and well developed technical, tactical, physical, and even mental skills.

Through grammar school. I excelled in sports; Baseball, Basketball, Gaelic Football, Hurling and of course Soccer. I played and started all 7 years on the A teams. I maintained a B average at St. Stephen, in San Francisco. Additionally, I was involved actively in student government. In eighth Grade I was elected Student Body President. At graduation was awarded the Leo T McCarthy Award for leadership. The award was the result of my efforts to grow the school's participation in the community by developing programs like the Ecology Day, Food, and Clothing drives for the poor, and a monthly Spirit Day. These programs are still in place today and growing. I worked with the school’s principal to begin a sister school relationship with St. Stephen School in Melbourne Australia. The foundation is set to hopefully have student exchanges in the future. As the captain of the school's soccer team I lead the team to the play offs three straight. Winning the City Championship in seventh grade and finishing third in our eighth grade year. For the school I averaged 20 goals, and 10 to 15 assists each year.

I chose to attend Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. This school as an extraordinary legacy of brotherhood, an outstanding academic track record, and competes in one of the Western United States most competitive athletic conferences; the WCAL. As a Freshman, at Riordan I held the office of Freshman Class President, and represented my class on the Student council. I made the JV soccer squad as a Freshman and was made team Captain (Riordan has a Freshman, JV, Varsity team). Later in the year I was brought up to Varsity and started the last 5 games of the season as a withdrawn Forward; including the league pay-offs. My Sophomore year I was elected to the Student Council as a Spirit and events Chairman, and help found the Riordan Knights, which is no known as the Ambassador club. This is group of student leaders from each class that work within the Riordan community to increase participation in the school and also work as ambassadors of the school coordinating community service projects. After my sophomore year at Riordan, where I moved up to varsity and started 16 games in the Center Midfield, I took the opportunity to train with the San Francisco Seals. I spent 7 months with the Seals and learned a great deal practicing 3 days a week with one of the premier coaches and clubs in U.S. Club Soccer. As Junior, I was re-elected to the Student Council for the third year and was President of the Junior class. I returned to the varsity squad and was elected team Capitan. I started 22 games as our center Holding Mid-Fielder and was voted WCAL All Conference 2^nd team. We had our strongest season in 5 years. I attribute the success last year’s campaign to each of my teammates. To a man, they each stepped forward and gave their hearts and great minutes on the pitch. I am about to start my Senior year. Again, I was returned to the Student Council, as the Director of Publicity and Communications. On the soccer team, I am returning with 9 teammates I have played with for four years. They once again asked as to be Capitan. It’s on my shoulder to lead by example and have what we hope and believe will be a legendary season. Win or lose on the pitch, my goal is to get better each time I put on my cleats, and learn the life lesson taught by the beautiful game.

I was eight when started playing travel soccer. Through the years I have generally played against strong competition, and with solid teammates that that pushed me to be a strong player. Starting in 2009 (as a guest) I joined the Half Moon Bay Cross Fire and played with them until the Fall of 2012. We were a strong upper division CYSA club team, competing and winning in the higher divisions. I was initially a striker, but moved my way to mid-field and ultimately Center mid-field. The Cross Fire, folded in the Spring of 2013. I spent the next 7 months training with the San Francisco Seals and then joined SF United U18 as their defensive Center Mid, and developed into an attacking Center Mid by the team’s final season (U19) in the Fall of 2015. After the HS season my teammates got together and we formed the U19 SF Evolution. Eleven member of my HS squad joined and we had a very successful initial NorCal league season and will be playing in both the Presidents Cup and CA State cup this spring after our final year with Riordan.

Academically, I have worked hard. I haven’t always achieved my goals, but I put in the time, I study, and I have done as well as I can. Cumulatively, my grade point is 2.84. Maybe dragged down by my performance in Mathematics I am currently retaking an algebra II class that could help swing my final GPA north of 3.0.