CANTON, New York (WWNY) – The World Cup may be over, but in Canton, teens are living and breathing soccer.
When playing the game, players say nothing feels better than watching their shot hit the back of the net.
“Just the feeling of celebrating. That is a great feeling to have,” said Max Neville.
Neville is from Saratoga Springs, and is one of many players looking to hone in on his soccer skills at the Lake Placid Soccer Centre’s camp on St. Lawrence University’s campus in Canton.
“I just want to bring the intensity every time I play,” Neville said. “If there is something in that particular session I’m lacking on, maybe it’s the volley’s, maybe it’s getting my head up looking for teammates, I just want to be sure to focus on that, and make those improvements every single day.”
The program celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Former Croatia national team player Helenna Hercigonja-Moulton said quality time with the players after her career is a great payoff.
“I love making an impact in players’ lives if I can help them in any kind of way. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Many of the players at the camp have been inspired from tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, whether that be the most recent or previous editions, they look up to players at the top level.
“They look at their role model and they try to mimic what their role models do on the field,” said Hercigonja-Moulton. “It’s education for pretty much everyone and usually sparks a lot of enthusiasm.”
“Seeing Mbappé doing so well as such a young player coming into that tournament, and being able to win it, that was super inspirational,” Neville said. “Seeing that goal from Pavard against Argentina in the semi-finals, that was a great goal. I wanted to create something like that, just in my backyard.”
A competitive camp at St. Lawrence University, with world class staff, looking to make stars out of a new generation of players.
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