Not many high-school student-athletes go on to play their sport at a collegiate level like how Boston Latin School boys’ varsity soccer player Girish Raghunathan (I) plans to. After making the varsity team in his sophomore year, Raghunathan has become a crucial member.

Being in the program throughout his entire high school career and on the varsity team for three years, Raghunathan has gone through a plethora of experience—both good and bad—with his teamates.

During this past season, Raghunathan’s team had to adjust to the many new members. Although they were unable to make it to the state playoffs, they were still able to improve from last year, largely because of Raghunathan’s significant role on the team, as he always pushed himself and his teammates to play their best.

This season, due to both his leadership and technical skills, it was no surprise when Raghunathan achieved his goal of being named a Dual County League (DCL) All-Star, a tremendous accomplishment.

 Head Coach Nick DiCicco adds, “I knew [Raghunathan] had a chance of being named a DCL All-Star because of conversations I had with other coaches in the league. They knew about [him] and some of them adjusted their tactics to account for his ability.”

Developing such a skillful ability in soccer does not come without hard work. Ever since the age of four, Raghunathan has been resoutely attached to the sport, spending six days a week practicing outdoors and training at the gym. Every summer, he attends an elite soccer program to further develop his  skills.

With this level of dedication, it is no surprise that Raghunathan has been recruited to play soccer for Lasell University. He was drawn to Lasell because of the overall environment and the locality of the campus. Mainly, though, he felt that unlike other college coaches who had talked to him, the coach at Lasell had a clear idea of how he would fit into their team. He felt the Lasell team would be a good fit for Raghunathan’s perseverence and mindset.

Raghunathan reflects, “For me, soccer has always just been a way of life. I could not imagine living life [without] it. The sport gets me through tough times. It allows me to forget everything and just be in a state of peace and happiness when I am playing the sport.”

Raghunathan will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with at Lasell.