As I prepare for one of my last home games, I cannot help but reminisce about some of my first ones. To the freshmen on the team, the field is just a beginning, a blank page. To me, now five years on, it is a dense book filled with a lifetime of memories with lifelong friends.
           
Back in August 2012, I arrived in New York from a small town in England, eager to become a Pioneer. People often ask how I came upon LIU Post. The truth is, I was in search of a new challenge, and after a hundred or so emails to myriad colleges, I decided New York was the place for me.

Upon first arrival, I was taken into the city with a group of the existing players. I will never forget that first day because, as I walked around Manhattan, I knew I was not just another tourist--I was exploring my new home.
 
The soccer team at Post turned out to be more than I could have ever imagined. I found a group of friends who I wanted to spend time with, who I wanted to understand and who I felt honored to play alongside. In my first season, we accomplished more than I could have hoped: 18-2-0, ECC Champions and an appearance in the NCAA round of 32. The following year, we went one better by again becoming ECC Champions, but this time making it to the NCAA round of 16. The year after that we managed to reach the NCAA Elite Eight. Though it had been three triumphant seasons, the journey to victory is filled with hard work, dedication and in many cases, injuries. In the spring of that year, I dislocated my kneecap, tearing my ACL and meniscus for the second time in my soccer career.
 
As I felt the distressing but all too familiar pop whilst laying in excruciating pain, surrounded by my teammates, I thought how on earth could this have happened to me again? Was once not enough? The trainer came over and popped my knee back in place. Apparently not. The surgery took its toll on my body and the rehab was strenuous and painful, but the toughest challenge of my injury was 12 months off the field. After I recovered, I decided to use my red-shirt season to stay and play a fifth season whilst pursuing my master's degree in Political Science. Sitting on the sideline for an entire season was tough, but the psychological battle of being as good as I was before, even tougher. Luckily, I had a vast web of support around me. I am grateful for the coaches, teammates, friends and faculty, who helped me not only overcome my injury but make it back onto the field as captain.
 
I have had some unbelievable memories on the soccer field, such as fighting back from a 2-0 deficit with one minute and fourteen seconds on the clock to beat Southern New Hampshire in the NCAA round of 32 on penalties. However, that being said, off the field is where true growth occurred. It is in the locker rooms, the bus rides, and 7 a.m. practices where character is built and winning teams are created.
 
I came to LIU Post with no idea what I wanted to study, because studying had never really been a focus for me--it had always been soccer. But, here, I was presented with an opportunity to study whatever I wanted. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with education and finally begun to enjoy and appreciate all I was learning. In four years I went from a nineteen-year-old with no appreciation for learning to a young man graduating as one of thirty-six students in 2016 with the honor of President's Best of Class.
 
My time at LIU Post has been incredible for an array of reasons, the experiences, memories, success, friends, knowledge, growth, and challenges, but above all it has given me a family. I now have friends all over the world that I am fortunate enough to call my brothers. Five years ago, I chose to come to LIU Post, and despite the injuries, the stressful finals weeks, the freezing February 7 a.m. running sessions, among all the other challenges you are faced with as a college athlete, not once have I regretted my decision to become a Pioneer.
 
To all my brothers around the world, and anyone who has contributed to my time at LIU Post, thank you for everything. Though my days on the field are limited, I am proud to say I will be a Pioneer for life.