Kendall Morrison '18 Recruiting Profile

Hi my name is Kendall Morrison. I am 18 years old. I am a junior at Eastern View High School. I have been playing soccer since the age of 4. From ages 4-7 I played rec soccer in Stafford Virginia. We moved to Culpeper, Virginia the summer of 2008. I wanted to keep playing soccer so my parents signed me up for rec and I played rec from ages 7-9. When I turned 9 my dad told me about the opportunity I had to play travel soccer on a U-11 team. I was nervous at first, but then I realized it would be a great opportunity and I would be playing with girls more of my skill level. So I agreed to tryout for the Culpeper Comets U-11 team. I made the team and played for Beth Healy till I was 12. When the program got a new technical director, Mark Parsons, everyone had to tryout again. Mark Parsons, Portland Thorns head coach, wanted everyone to play an age appropriate team instead of playing up. I was upset to hear this news because I would have to change teams and wouldn’t be playing with the same people I had been playing with for the last 3 years, but that change ended up changing me for the better. I was not aggressive when I was younger but when I changed to an age appropriate team that all changed. I became a very stronger player both technically and tactically. I made sure I wasn’t going to get pushed around by other girls anymore. I played on an age appropriate travel team for 4 years. My coach was Bill Vanhoven. He had me play center defense and found that this was my best position because I was strong, fast, and always was talking to others on the field. I helped conduct the play of the game in the back of the field.

    My parents have impacted my life a lot by giving me opportunities to strength my soccer skills. They are my biggest support system on and off the field. My dad works hard as a Battalion Chief in the Prince William fire department and my mom works in the Culpeper Schools System as a guidance counselor and she also sells Rodan and Fields skin care products. Even though they both are very busy with their jobs they always find a way to attend games and talk to me about my sports. They also make sure all of my work had been completed and help me with school whenever I need it. They have always been there and have helped me realize that if you work hard you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. This mindset has helped me get to where I am today. Without this mindset I would never be able to keep a high GPA and work hard in all the sports I play, especially soccer. I have taken higher level classes throughout my years of high school and I have done extremely well in them and even when I struggle in a class I always keep pushing and do my very best and not settle for a grade unless I know it's my best. In college I will put in the same effort to keep my GPA high and compete well in soccer. While in college I want to major in Criminal Justice/Criminology and then earn my Law Degree. I am looking for a school that will not only let me play soccer for them, but also allow me to work hard and accomplish my dream of becoming a lawyer and FBI agent after school.

    My family is very important to me because they will always be there for me through the good and bad times in life. Each year for a week or two my family and I drive up to Marquette, Michigan and visit with my cousins at their lake house. It is a beautiful place and it allows us to spend time together in the outdoors. We also take a vacation to Cocoa Beach, Florida every other year to visit my grandparents. It is important to me to spend time with my family as much as I can. A tradition we have as a family is that anytime someone in the family accomplishes something big they get to eat off of the "You Are Special" plate. This helps bring up everyone's self esteem and help show how much that person is wanted in the family. I volunteer my time in the Culpeper County Cadet Program. In this program I learn about the criminal justice system and I get to work side by side with police officers. I also volunteer some of my time at the library when they have special events such as, Dr. Seuss day. I have helped at the Kyle Wilson Memorial Walk every year since 2007. I am interested in soccer, the criminal justice system, helping people in horrible conditions, and learning more about the career I want to pursue when I graduate from college.