Andrew Ruland '25 Recruiting Profile

I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old.  At the time it wasn't my favorite sport, I really wanted to play football but tackle football wasn't offered to very young kids.  So I kept playing soccer. After my first couple years of playing I grew to love the sport and I knew I wanted to be a goalie. I began playing in a more competitive atmosphere when I was eight years old and I made the town club travel team as the goalie. I love the adrenaline rush being a goalie gives me once I get on the field. 

I picked up on soccer fast because in my town, Commack, it is one of the most popular sports. My first team I played for was the Commack Force. I learned my basics here and was able to gain experience. My next team, Kings Park Xtreme, I joined in 5th grade. This team was very successful. We won multiple league championships and made it all the way to the New York State cup finals. We ended up losing in PK's but was an amazing experience.  We also qualified to play in the US National Championships in Tampa Florida, however due to Covid we were unable to participate in the tournament. This team folded as some teammates were looking for different opportunities. Now I am with the Long Island Slammers. I joined the team in fall of 2021.  In my first season on the team we were EDP division 1 champions and next season we are moving to a more competitive league, Northeast Academy League.

Some goals I would like to accomplish as a goalkeeper is to bring my team to championships and help the younger class men excel in high school soccer. I feel as a goalkeeper you must be brave and mentally tough. I believe I have these traits because I used to wrestle, where I got 3rd place in my county and made it to states. As a wrestler, it is all on you. You really get to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. You have to trust your instincts and abilities. I like to train and I'm constantly trying to get improve my strength, agility and mental awareness. In practice I'm  competitive, making practices more intense to help my teammates and me get better. What makes me different from other recruits is that I'm always doing my best whether in school or on the soccer field. I always want to be a team player and be someone others can count on. Some other things that make me different is my athleticism and academics. I play many sports such as hockey and lacrosse and I used to be a competitive baseball player as well as a wrestler. In school I keep my grades up and have 3.7 GPA.