Liam Ebenhoch '25 Recruiting Profile

I've been playing soccer since I was four years old, following my German Opa and my dad who also played and coached for many years.  I love soccer on and off the pitch whether it's watching games, going to games, or playing them. As an example, during the last Women's World Cup, I woke up at 3 a.m. to watch the U.S. Women's Team play Sweden. I also became certified as a referee in order to enhance my knowledge of the game.  I volunteer each year to run youth clinics and set up the nets and goals for both the boys and girls high school teams.  I like the game because everywhere you go in the world, soccer connects people, and I enjoy that because I like being adventurous. When I travel I like seeing all the soccer atmosphere I can, whether it's watching a game or visiting a stadium. The teams I've played on have been diverse, with players from South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and I love watching how different cultures come together as a team to play the same game.  In fact, my high school is in the second most diverse school district in Minnesota, and my team certainly reflects all cultures. 

I would be a good candidate for your team because I am a two-year varsity captain for my high school soccer team.  I am always trying to stay positive by encouraging everyone else on and off the pitch.  As well as captain, I also won first team all-conference my sophomore year and three varsity letters starting my freshmen year, when I was called up to play varsity. This is an interesting story that highlights my personality around the game. I was the JV starting goalkeeper, and after my game I was watching the varsity match in the stands in my warm up. Both varsity goalkeepers got hurt right after one another during that game, so the varsity coach waved me down from the stands and even though I hadn't had that experience and practice with them, I knew I could learn a lot and was proud to be able to help the team. I ended up starting varsity after that for a couple games and earning my varsity letter. Basically, this story illustrates that I am up for a challenge and like to develop. I am also a very well-rounded person, which contributes to me as a player as well. I am an A-Honor role student with an academic letter. I am in the National Honor Society, Student Council, and I'm on the board for our school's Relay for Life Against Cancer committee. Teachers, coaches, and other students have nominated me to be a "Superfan" already as a junior, which demonstrates my good sportsmanship, role model behavior, and overall enthusiasm towards sports, school, and people. 

In addition to high school soccer, I've played club soccer for twelve years, nine of them as a field player, with the past three being a goalkeeper. As a kid, I made the best team at my age level for my club.  When my club merged with another, there were better, faster boys, and I made the second team.  I played at that level for two years until one game in Winter of 2020, the starting keeper got hurt, and I was asked to hop in goal.  I came to the realization that this position was a great fit for me and what I can do for my team.  After this, I started to make a better team each year until I was, once again, in the top division. This year, I changed clubs from my childhood club with the goal of developing even more at a higher level of play.  I am already 6'3" at sixteen years old, which comes with a lot of advantages of reach and goes really well with the acrobatic style I have to my game; but, there are also some disadvantages, which I work hard to fix and minimize. These motivate me to work harder. I wish to study business at an excellent university, so this is my first priority, because I want to build a solid foundation for my life after college.  I would also love to play on a college team that will challenge me the best possible goalkeeper I can and practice to be my best self on and off the pitch. In college I want to be able to keep my academic excellence, as well as balance a life with friends and teammates, which will enrich my college experience.