Finishing his FIFA match and hanging up the phone with his club teammates, sophomore captain Marc Pagnucci needs to leave home extra early. Now with his driver’s license, Pagnucci promised one of his soon to be teammates a ride to this Sunday’s soccer open gym. Pagnucci grabs an extra water bottle, just in case someone else forgot theirs. With the ball bags in hand, Pagnucci leaves home an hour early to make sure practice can start on time. 

“The biggest thing for me is how he carries himself,” Junior Varsity coach Thomas Bush said, “It’s his confidence.”

Bush praises Pagnucci for how infectious his confidence is to the newer players of the team. Leading through confidence, Pagnucci sets the tone for the new players who have watched the team and are now getting to be a part of it. 

“If someone my age can be that player and hang with the older players, why can’t I?” Bush said. 

Confidence doesn’t build itself. For Pagnucci, soccer is his way of life. With experience at countless levels, Pagnucci has refined his confidence through learning from all of his teammates. 

“Playing on a bunch of other teams, you see a new perspective of the game,” Pagnucci said, “Putting myself into new levels of the game showed me what it takes not only as a player, but as a teammate too.”

Pagnucci says the best skill new teammates can have is the ability to learn from the people around them. According to Pagnucci, teamwork is the heart of the sport. Without listening to one another, the sport itself won’t function the same if everyone isn’t on the same page. 

Pagnucci currently plays with Superior City FC, the highest level of his career. Building his leadership and soccer skills. He looks forward to his junior year as varsity captain, carrying high hopes for the incoming players in the coming years.