Senior invited to play soccer for Webster University

Sitting at home, senior Jeremy Statman received a text message from Webster University’s head soccer coach, Mike Siener, confirming that he not only was offered a spot on the team, but also a scholarship to play. His hard work and dedication to two soccer teams had finally paid off when he learned that he was given the opportunity to play on the university’s team with a scholarship.

“When they sent in the report, I was exhilarated about what I got,” Statman said. “I didn’t know I was gonna get as much as I did, or if I was gonna get anything at all. I knew about the school so I sent the coach an email, he looked at my Hudl account (a website where scouts can see a player’s sport history), he saw my highlight videos that I have and he emailed me back. We just kept in touch, and he decided that he wanted me to come play and got money from the school and everything.”

Throughout his time in high school, Statman played on both McCallum’s team and his club team, Lonestar. Although he said he will learn new techniques during the summer to use while playing at Webster, he said he has also acquired many of skills from his two teams, including what it’s like to be a part of a team. From his six years on his club team, Statman not only learned how to pick up on other player’s playing style, but he’s also learned how to play at a faster pace than most high school teams, allowing him to have the knowledge of how to work with others to prevail through intense situations. However, he said his time on his high school team has not only been a fun experience, but he’s also learned important lessons that he’ll be able to use while at Webster.

“I think my freshman year prepared me the most,” Statman said. “I was the only freshman on varsity, and I was playing against a lot of guys who were a lot bigger and stronger than me because we had about 13 seniors on the team that year. I didn’t play a lot, but what helped me was just playing against the guys who were bigger, stronger, faster and who knew more than me about soccer or were just better. It helped me a lot.”

With excellent academics, a prominent Jewish community (which he has been a part of in Austin) and family close by, Statman said he knew Webster University was the school for him. However, while Statman knows Webster is his ideal place, he is going to have to show the soccer team that he is the best choice for them too, on and off the field.

“Academics-wise it’s definitely going to be harder,” Statman said. “I’m definitely going to have to step up in telling myself to get it done on time. On the other hand, my level during the game is always really high. I’m always running after the ball, chasing after it if I lose it, just trying to go forward and score goals. But I also work back on defense. Hard work in general is what I’m pretty good at. I’ll just have to work as hard as I can and prove to the coach that I’m the right person in whatever position I play on the field.”