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09/22/2016 12:00 AMNate Gagnon is a lifelong soccer player who started playing as a small child at the Pee Wee level. While he’s always enjoyed the sport, it wasn’t until Nate joined a travel team in the 6th grade that he came to love it.
“Once I started travel, I loved it, and we did really well,” says Nate. “Coach Daniel Korcak took me under his wing and my love of the game flourished from there.”
Nate was eager to continue his soccer career with the Warriors when he entered Valley Regional High School. Although the central defender thought he understood how the game was played, Nate credits Valley Head Coach Mick Fearon for not only deepening his understanding of soccer, but his passion for the sport, as well.
“He’s taught me how to love the game more and look at it in a different light—from a player’s perspective, a captain’s perspective, or someone who’s playing a different position,” Nate says. “He really teaches you the game and I love his practices. A coach committed to making practices fun and still teaching you something is a task on its own.”
Now, Nate is using what he’s learned through the years to help lead the Warriors in the 2016 season. Nate’s teammates voted him as one of the club’s senior captains, along with Ryan Davis, who Nate credits for providing great leadership.
“I can’t stress enough that I’m very proud to be captain of a team that has worked this hard and pushed themselves in the offseason to show the conference and other schools that we’re not here to be stepped on,” says Nate, whose team is out to a 2-0 start. “I love knowing that they can rely on me and they chose me to be a leader.”
The Warriors have seen Nate push through some challenging situations. Nate became a varsity player his sophomore year and trained hard leading up to his junior campaign. However, in the sixth game of last season, Nate suffered a setback when he was injured in a game against Old Saybrook.
“I started last year in the best shape I’ve ever been in going into a season and was looking forward to being a big contributor,” says Nate. “In our sixth game, one of Old Saybrook’s lead strikers ripped a shot and I stopped it with my foot and had second-degree tears in my ligaments.”
The injury sidelined Nate for the majority of the season. Weeks later, he tried to come back, but rolled his foot again. Nate didn’t return to the field until states, when Valley went up against a tough team from Bacon Academy that eliminated the Warriors from the tournament. Having lost a good amount of playing time in 2015 made Nate train even harder for this season. Coach Fearon has witnessed Nate’s work ethic firsthand and is looking forward to seeing what he brings to both the field and his captain’s role this fall.
“He worked really hard last year getting himself fit and, when he got the injury, it set him back, but this summer, he’s one of the kids who led by example, getting himself in great shape,” says Fearon. “I’m hoping he’ll be a good leader on and off the field. His leadership should help out with the squad.”
Nate has high hopes for the Valley boys’ soccer team this season and feels excited to complete his playing days with a group of athletes he’s been on the field with for several years. Nate loves that his team embraces the family aspect of the game and he’s worked hard the last few months to prepare the Warriors for success.
“What I love about soccer is the aspect of everyone relying on each other,” Nate says. “This season, our goals as a team are to stay humble, never step outside of our boundaries, improve upon ourselves in areas where we were weak in past years.”
While Nate loves soccer, he also enjoys basketball and tennis. He’s played rec basketball for many years and looks forward to his last season this winter. Nate’s team, which is coached by his dad and another coach, won its league championship three years in a row before last year. Nate hopes to help the team reclaim the title in his final year with the program.
Nate began his freshman year by playing golf for the Warriors, but he switched to tennis the following spring. As a junior, Nate won three matches between singles and doubles before having to step back because of work commitments. With a number of the Warriors’ singles players having graduated, Nate is hoping to earn a singles spot as a senior.
“We have some really good younger players and had some good seniors last year, but this spring, I’m looking at a possible singles spot,” says Nate. “Soccer and tennis are definitely different games. With tennis, you have to rely on yourself. It’s definitely different and I’m not sure if I like that part, but I like to work myself in the offseason and keep the physical fitness up.”
Nate plays on a winter soccer team to build his endurance for the high school season. He also enjoys hiking, pickup basketball games at Hubbard Park, and spending time with his friends before they all head off to college next year. So far, Nate is looking at several schools in Rhode Island and is considering studying business or pre-vet as he enjoyed his internship at a local veterinary hospital. Nate isn’t certain that he’s going to continue with soccer in college, but says that he “would love to play” if the opportunity arose.
School is one of Nate’s highest priorities and he earned honors throughout his sophomore year, plus high honors throughout his junior year. Nate notes that his parents are big influences in his desire to succeed and that they are always supportive of him. He also enjoys participating in after-school programs like TOPSoccer.
“We are able to get mentally handicapped kids out to play sports, meet older kids in the community, and meet their peers,” says Nate. “The ‘buddies’ are the older kids and there are two buddies to a player. We teach them basic ball skills and play a small-sided game. It’s really great to see.”
As his senior season with Valley boys’ soccer gets into full swing, Nate is focused on finishing his career on a positive note and enjoying his final year playing alongside his fellow Warriors.
“I’ve played with these kids for a really long time,” says Nate. “We know each other’s abilities and have great chemistry together where they can pull together some amazing things.”