Allie Carmickle of U18G 97 Gold Verbally Commits to UC Davis

Posted On January 1, 2015 by PUSC

“University of California Davis here I come! After 10 years of soccer, I have – finally – made the decision to play Division 1 soccer at UC Davis for Coach Twila Kaufman and Coach Robin Grossman. I know I could not have gotten to this important and exciting point in my life without many very special people who have played a significant role in my life. Firstly, to my wonderful parents, thank you for always supporting and guiding me through all the years of early games and long travels. Secondly, thank you to my family for coming out to my games and cheering me on in all sorts of dramatic weather. Additionally, I would like to thank my amazing teammates and their families for being such an encouraging and welcoming community.

I would also like to thank my magnificent coaches that I have had throughout my soccer experience: Coach Lawrence Divinagracia, Coach John DeMartini, Coach Conor McNulty, Coach Todd DeCarlo, Coach Matthew Bernard, and Coach Ron Benjamin. Coach Lawrence Divinagracia was one of the first coaches I ever had and he taught me the fundamental lessons of teamwork, positive attitude, and most importantly that soccer is about having fun and enjoying yourself; thank you. Coach John DeMartini was the first coach I had at San Juan Soccer Club and he has remained one of my favorite coaches for being a father figure to us girls in his lighthearted personality, yet serious and strong work ethic combined with high expectations of one’s team and one’s self; thank you. Coach Conor McNulty was my goalkeeper coach for a year and he pushed me to my limits of goalkeeping ability while maintaining a fun and enjoyable atmosphere; thank you. Coach Todd DeCarlo was my first coach at Placer United and he reinforced the team unity, which I felt was missing for a couple years prior to joining Placer; thank you. Coach Matthew Bernard is my current goalkeeper coach at Placer who works with me on expanding my talents and strengthening my weaknesses, yet always keeping a fun and cheerful environment; thank you. Last but not least, Coach Ron Benjamin has worked extremely hard – devoting many of his own personal hours – on enhancing our team’s performance and capabilities, further developing our individual abilities, promoting each girl on this spectacular team for the opportunity to play collegiate soccer, and giving me the confidence to believe that I can play at any college I want as long as I work hard enough and still love the game; thank you.

Finally, I would like to thank my future coaches at UC Davis for the opportunity to further develop my athletic abilities and seeing the potential in me. I cannot wait to begin this journey at a superb school with such incredible girls.” — Allie Carmickle