Sept. 15, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
Erica Jensen (UNLV Sports Information)
The UNLV men's soccer team lost five of its top point getters from last year's squad. Most notably were the losses of Lamar Neagle and Daniel Cruz, both of whom are now playing in the MLS. That left the Rebels coming into this year in need of some new offensive threats as well as leaders on the field. One of those looking to take on the role of a leader this year for the Rebels is sophomore forward Nicholas DeLeon.
DeLeon, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., made the most impact of any freshmen last year as he played in all 18 games and made 12 starts. He racked up three assists, all coming in conference play, and earned himself a spot on the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Feferation Second Team. As his playing time and assists prove, DeLeon transitioned relatively easily from high school soccer into the Division I level. "It took me a couple of games to adjust and get comfortable last season, but once I did everything fell into place."
DeLeon is no stranger to the competitive environment as he played on the Region IV ODP team before coming to Las Vegas. The squad, who was coached by UNLV head coach Mario Sanchez at the time, traveled to Italy and faced competition from all over the world. "That is the best experience you can get as a player, traveling and seeing competition of that sort. It definitely gave me the experience I needed to be successful at the Division I level. It also made me more comfortable with Coach Sanchez, and solidified my decision to come be a Rebel."
Soccer has been part of DeLeon's life from an early age. His father played for the Trinidad & Tobago National Team and he has been a big influence on DeLeon's career. "He was always pushing me to be the best that I could be. His words have stayed with me and they still push me every day."
With the loss of so many leaders from last year, DeLeon knows he needs to step up and be a leader. Soft spoken and hard working by nature DeLeon takes on more of a quiet leader role. "I am a silent leader. I want to lead by example."
Not only does DeLeon feel the need to lead by example but he also feels the need to contribute more on the offensive side of things. He says there is a little hidden pressure on him to score more goals. The loss of Cruz and Neagle leave him plenty of opportunity to rack up the goals this year. When asked if he had any personal goals for the season, he stated simply "I want to score seven goals."
Why seven goals? Because that's his favorite number of course.
DeLeon and his teammates return to action at home on Friday, Sept. 18th as they host the UNLV Rebel Classic. They take on Illinois-Chicago at 7 pm.
'Finish the sentence' with sophomore midfielder Nicholas DeLeon
When I'm not on the soccer field you can usually find me… in my room watching an episode of 24 on my laptop.
My favorite sports to play or watch besides soccer… are basketball and football.
After college I want to… continue playing soccer.
My dream job would be… being a professional soccer player.
One thing most people don't know about me… is I secretly enjoy watching chick flicks.
My most memorable moment as a UNLV Rebel so far… is beating No. 23 Cal Poly in our season opener this year in double overtime.
