The University High and Prince Tech Hawks are gearing up for an exciting 2024 soccer season! To celebrate this kickoff, I sat down with team player and fellow classmate Alex Lucas to discuss our school’s achievements on the field and the dedication required to score those winning goals.

• Alex: Yo
• Johan: Yo yo yo, what up, man? 

I’m  with the school newspaper this year and I wanted to do an interview about the soccer team kickoff.

• Alex: Okay.
• Johan: And, you know, I got some questions and stuff, but hopefully it’ll be good for the newspaper, but also maybe like, it’ll get you to think outside the box about yourself as a soccer player. And, also give our readers a better understanding of what happens on the field and like, what goes into making soccer games happen.

I’ll start off with a question. What’s most important to you as a soccer player?

• Alex: Definitely, um, the passion and the drive, because this is a sport, like any other sport where you really need to, like, be strong for what you want. And you want to have a goal for what you want to achieve or you have to work really hard for what you want in the sport. And I feel like it’s the same for any other sport, but since you do like a lot of running in soccer, there’s a lot of stuff left to do on your own time, not just during practice or on the field. you have to have a lot of passion to become successful and go to reach the limits that you want to reach.
• Johan: Definitely. And you think, soccer keeps you like, definitely keeps you channeled in on that goal.
• Yeah, definitely. 
• That’s good.
• That’s something that I’ve been, I’ve been doing for a long time, so I know how to balance life with soccer school. So it’s like, I just gotta stay locked in.
• That’s awesome, man.
• When do you, uh, when do you first get, like, start playing soccer?
• I was seven years old.
• Seven. Awesome. Awesome.
• And, what town was that? Well, you first played.
• I played in Portugal before I moved here.
• You lived in Portugal?
• Yeah, man. I lived in Portugal till I was seven years old. I was born there. And I started playing soccer there.
• And then when I moved here, like, obviously, I still wanted to continue playing. So I really enjoyed watching soccer, playing soccer. Even before I played on a team, I would just get with my friends outside of my grandma’s house. And we were, you know, we weren’t like, the richest. So we would go on the street, we would put some flip-flops on both sides of the road. And that would be our goal. And we’d use, like, the sidewalk as the out of bounds line. So we met our own, like, little field. So it was just something from the beginning that I just loved.
• Johan: That’s beautiful, man.
• Alex: Yeah.
• Johan: So, you know, during, like, when you’re under, like, a lot of pressure. You know, how do you, how do you stay focused?
• Alex: So when I’m in a game, I play, um, I play with instinct. So I don’t think when I play it. So when someone sees me do a good player, a bad player, that’s just what my instinct said to do. And I just, my brain is totally off when I’m playing. I’m always thinking about what the next play is or what do I have to do next? Where’s, um, like, where’s the next, you know, what’s the next thing I have to do? Before I even do the one I’m playing while I’m doing something now. I’m already thinking about what i’m doing next. You know what I mean?
• Johan: Yeah, I totally gotcha.
• Alex: Yeah, so I just, once I’m in the game, I have no other thoughts. 
• Johan: You know, that’s like a great mentality to take away into life itself. You know, you just gotta trust your gut and your head.
• Alex:  Yeah, for sure.
• Johan: what’s like a, what’s like a memorable moment or like achievement from your soccer career?
• Alex:  It’s definitely getting my first scholarship for my first couple of interesting colleges looking at me, wanting to play for them. That was definitely something that I looked at in a very good way.
• Johan: That’s fantastic man, college, expensive, very expensive.
• Alex: Very expensive.
• Johan: That’s cool, man. What club did you kind of dream of when you were like a kid at the end?
• Alex: I still dream of it to this day. It’s a Portuguese club, Vancouver, one of my favorites. It’s always been my favorite team of all time. So I’ve supported them since I was young. My dad supports them with me. it’s just something that I love. I go to their games when I visit Portugal. It’s just something that I would love to do is be more part of that club. Not just as a fan, but maybe as a player someday too.
• Johan: That’s beautiful. what’s some of your goals for this upcoming season?
• Alex: for the high school season?
• Johan: Yeah, yeah.
• Alex: definitely, try to get, try to get some more interest, college interests, and help my team always, as much as possible. Maybe I just found the food, but I have developed more as a player and a student. Uh, you know, student athlete, you always gotta keep up the grades because school comes first. And it’s, I don’t know, just becoming a better person overall and helping others.
• Johan: Those are some good goals. What’s your favorite player?
• My favorite player definitely got to be, Ronaldo. He’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time, his motivation and his discipline, it’s another thing that goes into something. You have to be very disciplined. There’s a lot of days where I wake up with no motivation to go on a run or go to the gym, but I have to be disciplined And I get a lot of that from just looking up to him and all. Though he’s someone that is very disciplined and he worked very hard to get where he is now. And that’s something that I want to do as well. 
• Johan: Yeah, man. discipline’s definitely very important because as soon as you start losing control, is when the other team gets a steal.
• Alex: Right, yeah.
• Johan: do you have, uh, a favorite, a favorite drill or exercise you do with your team?
• Alex: My favorite drill. This is a good one. Anything that involves the team. So we can keep our chemistry strong, anything that involves passing the ball to each other, or drills where we have to score a goal. Anything that keeps the team, like, playing as a team, I guess. So everyone improves at the same time.
• Johan: Yeah, that’s important. It’s gotta be, like, a team effort.
• Alex: Right.
• Johan: What factors have helped you towards your current goals as a player? Like, family?
• Alex: Yeah. That’s really my family helping me out a lot. They, because this is a very expensive sport. I’m playing a club, especially. So, like, my family just supports me a lot. And I’m glad that they do. And this is my, all my friends as well. They, you know, they, they, my teammates, they all just… They all believe in me. They trust me as a player and a friend. So that definitely, like, keeps me going as a player.
• Rasid: That’s great. Yeah, man, how much is it to be in a club like that?
• the higher-end clubs that I’m at right now? It’s $3,600 here. It’s crazy.
• Rasid: Yeah. More than, like, car insurance… That’s good, though. That’s good. It’s cool you’re always up for it.
• : Yeah.
• Johan: What’s your favorite, like, aspect of playing soccer?
• Alex: Winning is Definitely a good reward from playing. And It’s just that you work hard for it. And winning is definitely something that you would want to be rewarded with. Like, when I lose, I get very agitated, I get very angry. And my family knows that I need my space when I lose. So I’ve been working really hard on my own time, trying to improve myself as much as I can to help continue. This year, our actual team is surely, but we’re getting, we’re finally getting to where we need to be.
• Johan: Yeah, and definitely, even if you lose, it makes you go harder.
• Alex: Yeah.
• Johan: That’s great, man. What do you do to stay fit during the off season?
• Alex: I go to the gym. I go on longer runs. But I will be playing soccer all year round this year.
• I’m gonna have October. And a little bit of November to myself, so I’m definitely gonna be hitting the gym a lot harder those two months. I usually just go on a lot of runs. a lot of, a lot of gym time. So it takes away from my personal time, but, I feel like that is my personal time. I feel very much at ease and not a lot to stress out about when I’m at the gym or on a run.
• Johan: That’s good for you, man. A Lot of people get sedentary during the winter.
• Alex: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• Johan: Have you been to an indoor field?
• Alex: When it’s winter, like November through like February, we play in a bubble, yeah.
• Johan: Oh, that’s cool, man. I went to preschool there.
• Alex: No.
• Johan: For real. I appreciate you, man. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me and share your experiences on the field.
• Alex: Of course. Anytime.
• Johan: Take care.
• Alex: Thank you, You too 

As the UHSSE Hawks gear up for a promising season, Lucas’s dedication and passion for soccer serve as an inspiration to all of us. Here’s to a fantastic 2024 season filled with teamwork, growth, and unforgettable moments on the field!