Dear Soccer,

The memories you have given are enough to last me a lifetime. Every time I have stepped onto the field there is this moment of absolute peace. When the national anthem is playing there is this instant where everything and everyone fades into the background and it’s just you and the field. The feeling of pouring your heart and soul out onto the field is something unexplainable. You have brought me my brightest days and some dark nights, but I wouldn’t change anything that has happened. You have given me reasons to push myself further and value the idea of team.

It is so surreal to realize that this is the beginning of the end. As this week progresses I will begin my last week of pre-season in my college career. I knew that this day would have to come, but I never thought it would be such a difficult thing to see. We all know time has to continue forward but still are in awe when it takes away something you love. This is one of the most bittersweet feelings I’ve ever had. On one side it is necessary to move forward in life and see what lies ahead, but then after reflecting I wonder what my life will be like without it. Soccer has always been a substantial component of my life. Yes, I will always be involved in it in some way, but it will never be the same.

Such a beautiful sport has brought such amazing people into my life and has changed me in so many ways. It is through soccer that I have had the chance to befriend some wonderful people and make some of my closest friends. Through soccer many people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise have had the chance to come together and play as a unit.

Soccer, thank you for every win and loss. This taught me to never truly accept defeat. It is important to acknowledge that things will not always go as planned, but is the reaction to loss that will mold your character. Because of you, soccer, I have learned more about the need for resilience and down right determination. These skills that I gained playing the sport I love has been carried throughout all other aspects of my life, and I am very grateful for this life skill.

At the end of the day I know that I wouldn’t be the same person if soccer had not been such a huge part of my life. There are so many life lessons that classes can’t teach you and these are the holes that soccer filled for me. I was able to be daring and unwavering. Most importantly, I was able to be myself and that is one of the best things that soccer has given to me, freedom. Running up and down a field was more than a pastime, it was a lifestyle. And although in a few months this lifestyle