When a Dream Became Reality

Age 12
Spencer sat in a seminar on “how to become successful”. It was one of many that his father and step-mom had forced him to attend. During most of these seminars, Spencer sat with his eyes heavy as sand bags, listening to the drowning on of speakers who thought they knew the secret of how to rule the world.
To Spencer, the seminars were like the news, he’d listen to it, but none of it meant much to him. However, this day, Spencer listened to the speaker who seemed so confident with passion in the words he spoke. The main thing he took out of it was to write down his goals, and as a 12-year-old with the drive to play soccer; Spencer went home and did just that.
He wrote about graduating Edina High School with a 4.0, doing well on the track team, becoming the Varsity Boy’s Soccer captain, but most of all he wrote about playing soccer at a D1 school.


Age 14
Spencer had played soccer all his life, starting at the young age of four. He’d always been inspired to play at a high level, but after he wrote down he goals and knew what he wanted he started doing everything he could in order to achieve that goal. “Every day after school I’d get home and he’d be out in our backyard kicking around the soccer ball. Every day. I knew I’d read about people with that much drive, but I didn’t know that type of drive even existed,” said sister Mara of younger brother.
It was in the end of Spencer’s eighth grade year at Edina High School where he got a phone call. It was coach Tim Carter from the school of Shattuck St. Mary’s. The school was a preparatory school for phenomenal athletes, and they wanted Spencer for their soccer team.
After attending Shattuck St. Mary’s for a year, Spencer decided that being away form the friends he’d grown up with was not worth the high level of soccer. “I figured he’d made his decision. He chose friends over soccer which is understandable of a high school boy…but yes, I thought his chances of D1 were gone after he left Shattuck,” recalled Spencer’s father, David.


Edina High School
Spencer became a blessing to the Edina High School Varsity team when he showed up to play for them. While at Edina he became a four-year letter winner. Individually, he was voted team captain as a senior, earned NSCAA All-Region player, first team all-state, all-metro and all-conference honors, named to be on the ESPN Rise Magazine All-Minnesota team, led the Edina High School team in points as a junior and a senior, and was a three-year member of the Olympic Development Program team in Minnesota.
Aside from Spencer’s outstanding performance in soccer, where he also played on the club team Bangu Tsunami and won four state championships, he also fulfilled meeting his goals of doing well in other sports. Alongside with soccer, Spencer lettered in weightlifting and track. His success didn’t stop at making the Varsity track team. He was also named all-state in the 800-meter dash and was a member of the school’s record-holding 4x800 meter relay team.
With this much athletic success from a high school student, you wouldn’t expect much academically. Spencer shocked people when he became a four-year honor roll student and an AP honor scholar. He was also a member of the student leadership group and graduated with a 4.0.


The College Decision
He’d done all he could, working every spare moment to become the best soccer player he could be. “If I didn’t make it now,” Spencer said, “at least I knew it wasn’t because I didn’t put all of my effort into it.” Spencer awaited calls from scouters.
The phone almost didn’t stop ringing. Schools called from all over the country hoping to get Spencer on their team. There was only one problem...they weren’t D1 schools. “It wasn’t my goal to just play soccer in college. It was my goal to play D1 soccer and I wasn’t going to just settle because I though my opportunities were out.”
On March 20th, 2009, Spencer got a call that changed his fate. Columbia University in New York wanted him to play on their D1 team. Spencer feel quiet on the phone, his heart beat fast and he felt jittery as the coach spoke. He wanted to cry, to scream, to tell everyone he’d ever met and call all his relatives. He had made it. He accomplished biggest goal, and the feelings of worry and anticipation for the future flew out of his body like a flock of doves being released for the first time.


Columbia University
Spencer is now a huge contributor for the Columbia University Men’s Soccer team. He intends to major in political science and advance to law school after graduation. Spencer’s story reminds all that with the drive and determination to do something; anything is possible.