Among all of Arcadia High School’s (AHS)  outstanding and talented soccer players, one particular athlete stands out not only as a fierce competitor, but as an enthusiastic participant of the sport. This is senior Jaden Harriman, a veteran player with over 12 years of experience, and a proud member of the Boys Varsity Soccer team.

In his early years at the age of four, Harriman began playing soccer with zero expectations except to find an athletic field to be involved in, and have a source of fun with his friends. However, this quickly progressed into a genuine interest that would motivate him to continue learning and playing.

“From the very beginning of playing soccer I enjoyed every single moment. I loved being in a team environment and improving as a player individually as well as with the people around me,” said Harriman.

With his newfound determination to improve at soccer, Harriman began to dedicate massive amounts of time to practice, gaining more skill and expertise at the technical level. From starting to pursue it as a mere side interest to focusing real effort into the sport, he has earned the status of an expert player. Although one obstacle would stand in his way: his transfer from his original soccer team.

“I transferred here from a competitive team [at] St. Francis High School junior year, and although [Arcadia] may be [in] a lower division, we can most definitely compete at a high level while also having a lot of fun and memorable experiences,” said Harriman. “The friendships and the moments I have experienced on and off the field with my teammates, I will never forget.“

Of course, maintaining his position as a student athlete does not come without rigorous practice, as Harriman must train for hours daily in preparation for upcoming games and to improve his skill in general. Time is not the only crucial element to success. 

“Every training session to get the results we want in the game, we try and bring intensity to every practice,” said Harriman. “We do this so we can produce what we do in practices and incorporate it in game scenarios. We also believe in having good team chemistry on and off the field so we can play and look like a structured team.”

The effort his team dedicates to practice was emphasized in what Harriman considers to be his most notable and meaningful game, which took place at his previous school. 

“We played with aggression and passion. I scored from far out and we were up 1-0. That feeling will always stick with me and even though we ultimately lost 2-1, we played as a team and gave it our best for being a lot lower division,” he reminisced.

Harriman doesn’t plan to end his soccer career as early as high school, as he plans to play the sport much further into his life.  

“I definitely want to play college soccer and want to experience the athlete lifestyle at a higher level,” Harriman said.

But to achieve this monumental goal, he must continue training day by day and follow what he believes to be an essential part of becoming an exceptional soccer player; keeping an open mind. Without such a valuable ability, it is difficult to look for ways to improve gameplay, and evolve from an average to an extraordinary player.

Harriman recognizes the benefits of being accepting towards changes, saying, “There are always improvements that can be made to your game which will make you a much more diverse player and tougher opponent.”

Overall, Harriman not only stands as a talented soccer player, but a resolute individual in the face of adversity and outside obstacles. We wish the best of luck to him and his future sports endeavors in college!

Photo courtesy of Arcadia DCI intern Joshua Chen