Joel Branson '19 Recruiting Profile

Hello! My name is Joel Branson.  I am a Junior at St. Joseph-Ogden High School in St. Joseph, Illinois (class of 2019).  It's a small school in a small town near Champaign, Illinois.  I am the goalkeeper for our varsity soccer team.  I have been a starter on our varsity team since my freshman year as defense and back-up keeper and took the helm as starting keeper my Junior year.   Last season I was named player of the game 3 times, and with the help of my teammates I had 6 shutouts.  I was named Illinois player of the week by MaxPreps/United Soccer Coaches and I have also been ranked nationally in both saves and goals against average during the fall 2017 season.  All achievements that I have worked very hard to obtain.  I learned at the end of our season that I broke our school record of Most Saves in a Season with 249 saves.   

Along with working hard on the soccer field I also work hard in the classroom.  I currently have a 3.92 GPA while taking accelerated and AP courses.  I take my studies just as serious as I do my position on the field.  I am looking to attend a college that will help me continue to grow not only as an athlete but as a person.  I would like to major in International Business and Spanish.  I am hoping that one day I can take my business and language education and combine it with the sport I love and somehow make a career out of them.  

I am extremely motivated to play college soccer, but I realize my education comes first.  I am looking to attend a school where I can finish my degree if soccer were no longer an option.  I am uncertain about the size of school I'd like to attend, but do know that geographically I'm up for anywhere as long as I can get a top notch education.  I take the term 'teamwork' very seriously so seeing how the team gets along both on and off the field is something that I will take into consideration.  I know there are great colleges and universities of every size and in every corner of the world. I can guarantee that I will give any of these schools 110% in both the classroom and on the field. 

Thank you for taking a few moments to get to know a little about me.  Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or would like further information.

Best,

Joel Branson

Goalkeeper

Class of 2019