Benjamin McDonald '23 Recruiting Profile

Hi my name is Benjamin McDonald and welcome to my NCSA profile! I'm a Junior in high school in Portland, OR and I play goalkeeper. Soccer has been a huge part of my life ever since I started playing and It's something I want to be able to do at the highest level for as long as I can, and playing in college is a huge goal for that. Me and my family come from a small town on the Flathead Reservation in Montana surrounded by a great landscape and culture, but not always the best place to be . A reason I play soccer is to be able to prove something to myself, family and my people back home that we can be something and accomplish things in life, and because of this I carry a hardworking determined chip on my shoulder to be the best I can be, on and off the field. I became interested in soccer when I first moved to Portland when I was younger and was drawn to the uniqueness of the game, especially goalkeeper, a position like no other.  Soccer has taught me a lot about myself but it especially gave me understanding on how to be a leader and a better person, from advice from my coaches and trying be the best teammate I can be in anyway.

My academic goals for the rest of my high school career is to maintain my 4.0 GPA and keep raising my 4.83 weighted GPA along the way. Academics are a huge role in my life and its something I strive to be the best at everyday, and furthering my education in college to better myself later down the line is another huge goal of mine. I want to further my studies in Business and science, especially environmental science. Going to a community and environmentally focused middle school helped me understand the importance of community and that people come first. And it gave me a passion and interest in the environmental side of school and work.

Where I was born in Montana and living in Portland with a single parent household has given me a different outlook on how I perceive my day to day life and my goals. Through the hardworking examples of people in my life like my mom has given me a different sense of motivation and groundedness. I wan't to be able to go to a school with good academics and a strong and very competitive soccer environment, where I can contribute to the team. I'm a hard working kid trying to do the best for myself and my family, and I can guarantee that you won't find anyone else who is harder working and motivated than me, and I'll give my best every single time I step on the field, day in and day out. I'm a great leader and hope to be the best teammate I can be. I hope you enjoy my profile and if you need anything or have any questions please feel free to contact me. 

Playing history/Accolades

2022 Northwest Conference Champions (United PDX 05)

United PDX 05 Co-Captain. 

2019-2022 United PDX 05 and 04 premier teams

2020-2021 High school league champs 6A (PIL)

2020-2021 High school 6A state top 4 finisher

U.S Youth National League (United PDX 05) 2020-2022

Oregon State Champion Finalists 2020 (United PDX 05)

2016-2018 Portland Timbers Academy