UNLV soccer star Marco Gonzalez is a sophomore forward from Las Vegas who is majoring in sociology. He made a major impact right from the start for the Rebels, tying for second on the team with six goals en route to be being named Freshman All-WAC in 2017. This year he sits in the top three in the conference in both goals (seven) and points (17) and added a hat trick in a 4-3 win over Evansville, which earned him WAC Player of the Week nod.
Let's hear from the Las Vegas native in his own words as the Rebels get ready for a key conference stretch.

iREBEL by Marco Gonzalez

I first started playing soccer when I was 5. My dad -- he was the first one to get me into it and we knew at the beginning that I had the ability.

When I started playing as a kid, I started in the Mexican leagues. A lot of friends and families put a bunch of us kids together, and we found out we were pretty good as a team. So I started to like soccer at a very young age and I just kept working at it.

I've been through so many experiences to get here, I played club when I first started, then I went to Real Salt Lake Academy in Arizona. They told the coaches there about me. I got a trial and was able to get an invite after that tryout. Before then I was playing with LV Sports Academy.

RSL was probably one of my best experiences and set me up well to come to college. That's because in the academy the coaches expect you to play fast and they are really technical and all of the players have great ability. I think that experience is what turned me into a good enough player to come to UNLV.

I don't think I would be the same player without RSL, it really improved my game. Technically I learned a lot along with a lot about the game of soccer.
When I was in high school the coaches here were talking to me about maybe coming to UNLV one day, and I always knew this would be a good place for me -- to play at home. When I played at RSL, my goal was to be able to come back and join UNLV and to have my family watch me play.

As a player, my time at UNLV has been amazing so far. The fans are crazy and our schedule lets us play in very tough environments. It's a great experience to face teams that are ranked really high and that's why you come to a team like UNLV -- so you can face off against the best there is and get a chance to prove how good you can be as well.

Rich (Ryerson) is a wonderful coach and Liam (Connors) is always helping us get better. They do a great job of preparing us for each game. The training sessions are run very well and Rich with all his experience as a professional player and coach -- I think he's a big key in helping me get to the next step.
I didn't think I was going to start when I first came in, and then when I got to that first game at Portland last year it was a whole different beast, that's by far my favorite
game of all time, winning in overtime in front of a tough crowd like that.

I always try to put the team before me. I don't care about goals -- if I get the opportunity I'll take the shot -- if I don't I'll try to set up teammates, I feel like my best strengths are in the final third, one-on-one, and trying to open up chances for my teammates.

As a student, I appreciate all the resources we have here at UNLV to help us get where we want to go, which is to get a degree after four years if soccer isn't at the end of the road. I think school is very important and I think it's been a wonderful experience, the professors have always been great, always a big help to athletes as well.

My goal is to leave an impact here on the program. That's what we all want to do -- leave our legacy -- and make them remember us at the end of our four years while also getting my degree. I think it's huge to get my degree because I want to set an example for my younger siblings, and I would be the first in my family to graduate from college so I think that would be a very big achievement for me and my family.

I would like to try to do something in sports after my time at UNLV is over, but if I can't, I would like to open up a clothing line or brand that I would start with my friends and family. Something we would have together that we could all pitch in on.
My dad always stresses that school is first. You never know when you might get hurt and you don't know when soccer might be over for you, so you always need a plan.

UNLV Men's Soccer plays its next home match Saturday, Oct. 13 vs Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. at Peter Johann Memorial Field. For tickets, visit UNLVTickets.com.