Gonzalez ready for next stop in soccer career after record, growth in Arcadia
Arcadia senior Andree Gonzalez broke the single season scoring record this fall and developed into one of the program’s best players of all time. Gonzalez has high hopes for his future, whether it be pursuing a college career or a track to the professional leagues. Gonzalez and the Raiders fell to Aquinas in the sectional final. (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)
Andree Gonzalez paused for a moment and flashed a quick smile before admitting that his growth in the Arcadia High School soccer program runs deeper than just developing as a scorer.
It’s been a four-year journey of growing into a potent offensive threat and learning how to handle himself like a professional and adult on and off the field, too, he said. It’s that lesson that sticks out as he reflects on a career that ends with a program record and multiple trips to the WIAA state tournament.
“I don’t think I’m the star of the team and all that anymore. When I came in freshman year I thought I was all that because I had just got done playing club. And now I realize that it’s not just me on the team. It’s about everyone else on the team and it’s a team sport,” he said.
The senior played a big role in helping the Raiders to the WIAA Division Four state tournament last year, scoring a goal in the sectional final that he described as the favorite of his career.
He learned as a freshman who didn’t play at all at the varsity level before advancing to a replacement bench player as a sophomore. He surpassed 20 goals in his junior season and built on it this fall, breaking the school record for goals in a season (33).
“I realized maybe if I work harder I can go farther than that,” Gonzalez said of his growth. “And then once I got done with our first game this year, I thought, ‘I think I can break the record now.’”
The record was circled on his list of goals for this fall because he wanted to leave a legacy, he told the Times at the high school last week. The next step of his career is still to be decided between playing college soccer or beginning his pursuit of a professional career.
Gonzalez joined a soccer club as a kindergartner before getting competitive in fifth grade. He began focusing on the sport with most of his free time. It’s part of who he is.
“If you go up to a random person in the school right now they’ll think that my personality is just soccer, which is what it is,” he said. “I think I’m known for the guy that plays soccer in this school.”
Family is a big part of the ‘soccer guy’ after spending so much time with his father training and growing a passion for the sport. They practiced shooting and passing and focused on agility and stamina.
“He was just always there. I could just walk into the kitchen or the living room and it was like I had a coach next to me at all times,” Gonzalez said. “He was my guardian and just taught me everything.”
The MLS Next league in Minneapolis, a developmental soccer academy for the professional MLS league, is his goal for post high school. He’s also talking with colleges.
He will be attending camps this winter and into the spring to get his name out there and continue training for the next stop.
“Keep working on my technique,” he said of what’s next. “I’m more focused on working on my physique, becoming stronger and all that because I’ll need that going into a higher level like college.”
And regardless of where the next step is, Arcadia will play a role in that, he said. His friends and coaches that taught him about being humble and always striving to be better won’t be left behind, he said, adding that it’s those people he will miss most from his time as a Raider when he felt the community’s support.
“I won’t be able to play organized games with them and I’ve been playing with them since middle school and traveling as a team. I’ll miss that.”
