Inspired by his father and his brother, freshman Connor Culp has been playing soccer since he was in seventh grade. According to his coaches, Culp works hard at practices and even plays for a club team outside of school in order to get a better understanding of the game. Culp came in at a tough spot as a freshman with two returning starters, but was able to prove his role as a goal keeper.

“For being a freshman, he stepped right in. He had every excuse to not have worked as hard. Instead, he has come in every day trying to be the starting goalie and putting forth maximum effort,” said soccer coach Daniel LaHatte.

Besides his work ethic, Culp is recognized for his encouraging attitude towards the rest of his teammates.

“A good soccer team starts with good team play and communication from the goalie,” said captain RJ Feerick.

Off the field, Culp listens to his favorite pump-up song, “Highway to Hell” by ACDC to prepare himself and his team mates for the game. On the field, Culp’s saves in the goal energize the team, as noted by Feerick.

“I saved a penalty shot against Hereford heading into half time which gave us some momentum,” Culp said.

Culp’s favorite memory from the season is the first win against Catonsville Sept 12, when the team won 3-1, giving the team success and motivation early on in the season. Culp remarked that the season went better than expected and anticipates building on this years achievements next season. Despite his hard working attitude, Culp always knows when to make a joke and his teammates can count on him to provide light comic relief in any given situation.

“I didn’t want to run, I’ve never been too into using my feet,” Culp said.