Grant Bargender '21 Recruiting Profile

Throughout high school I wanted to leave behind a legacy, but that doesn't come without hard work. After a long day of learning in the classroom, I head down to the field where I work on my craft. The thing about soccer is that while working on yourself in practice, you are also helping your teammates out. Being the leader and captain of my high school team, I was able to make my teammates better while also making myself better. I am verbal on the field and will say things that will encourage my teammates. I have a high understanding of the game of soccer and that is what makes me a leader and why I get along with my coaches so well. Without a strong relationship with a coach, there is no improvement and no learning. I love having a good coaching staff that will push me to my limits and give me more knowledge about the game. Soccer comes with wins and losses and I am able to take the losses and turn them into wins. The first game of my senior season was not the best and we lost. I watched the film, saw what I could do, instructed my teammates, and talked to my coaches. The second game we won and we never lost a game until the state championship match. 

The path to state was a hard one. I learned since freshman year, nothing is ever handed to you. I played goalie and midfielder freshman year. Sophomore year I played as a center defensive midfielder. Junior year I got injured but played as a forward, and senior year I played as a center defensive midfielder, center midfielder, and forward. With all of the learning and practice, senior season came and I knew it would be the last high school season that I would play. Everyday I had the chance to improve and I never took practice for granted. Everyone on my team had the mindset to win state. We went undefeated in conference, earned conference champions, earned regional champions, earned sectional champions, and became state runner-ups. This was my best season so far, but with the experience and dedication to be the very best, I believe that my future is bright. I had 4 assists and 7 goals on my senior season. I have a dominant left foot that scored two goals in the semi-state match but I also use my right when I have to. I feel that playing in college will put me on a whole different level once I have more experienced coaches and more experienced players to learn from. It won't be easy but I will work to be on that next level. 

Academically, I struggled with school sophomore and junior year. I went to Saint Catherine's High School freshman year but decided to transfer to Saint Lawrence Seminary High School for the rest of high school. Saint Lawrence is a boarding school where you have a built-in schedule with mandatory events everyday. I was just a sophomore and didn't know how to manage my time and was focusing mainly on soccer. I also played basketball and baseball, sophomore and junior year, which is a lot to maintain. Now, I know how to manage my time and that is why my grades are at their best. School is important as much as soccer, and knowing that, I am able to balance my time studying and training. College is more work and more training and I am completely ready to take it on.

Thus, playing soccer in college, at a competitive level, will help me become the player that I see myself being. I will show up to practice with a positive attitude, share talent with my teammates, learn from my coaches, and be a disciplined player on the field. I will turn losses into wins and leave behind a legacy that will be great.