Luka Lazarevic '17 Recruiting Profile

http://www.luka11.com

  I was born on December 21, 1998 in Tilburg, Netherlands. At the age of two, my family moved to the United States, where I was raised in Houston, Texas.  Growing up with the customs and culture of Bosnia and Hercegovina , from which my parents are from, provided me with the ability to remain connected to my native culture and fluently speak my native language. From an early age, I took interest in soccer and pursued my passion by joining the Houston Express at the age of eight. 

     At Houston Express, my first coach Agnes Covic taught me the fundamentals of soccer while Vedad Hadzajlica and Eric Johnson provided one-on-one training sessions throughout my early soccer career. Even though I am right-handed, I discovered that I am naturally left footed and began playing as a left wing. During the time I was at Houston Express, I attended Windsor Village Elementary where I was in the Gifted and Talented (GT) program. The invaluable learning experiences at Houston Express enabled me to advance my skills, which I continued to build through future organizations. 

      At the age of nine, I joined the Houston Dynamo Center of Excellence where I played as a center midfield and left wing, and by age twelve I transitioned to the Huskies Soccer Academy, playing as a center midfielder . Throughout my membership at the Huskies Soccer Academy I had the privilege to train with renowned, successful coaches such as Joey Serralta, former professional soccer player for the national team of Puerto Rico and current FIFA agent, Steve Jones, the head coach of the Houston Baptist University (HBU) men’s soccer team, and Ryan Pratt, assistant coach of HBU’s men’s soccer team. In addition to this, I had the honor to go through training  sessions with Dominic Kinnear , head  coach of Houston Dynamo at that time . In the Summer of 2010 I traveled to Brazil  and participated in a training camp alongside other top ranked teams. With many hours of training and with effective teamwork, my team was able to accomplish our goal of becoming champions, winning the 2013 and 2014 state championships, 2014 regional championship, and placing second at nationals.

       I attended Briscoe Junior High and then entered Foster High School, maintaining a GPA of a 4.0 on a 4.0 scale. At Foster High School, I made the varsity soccer team as a freshman, playing left wing and center midfield. As a freshman I made second team all district and as a sophomore I made first team all district. Since age fourteen, I have been a member of the Olympic Development  Program (ODP), South Texas - Region 3. While in U15, my team won the state championship and went on to win regional's in Decatur, Alabama, and placed second at the national USA Presidents Cup.  Currently I am a part of the Regional Premier League West with U17. Additionally, In 2014 I traveled to Bosnia where I had the chance to train with the soccer club, FK Radnicki.I got the chance to be surrounded  with a different environment and different style of play.

      As I pursued my passion through various soccer organizations, interacting with teammates and individuals from different backgrounds and of all ages enhanced my interpersonal and leadership skills. Managing my time between soccer organizations and academics required effective time management and dedication which has made me more perseverant and better prepared for collegiate soccer.