Junior Aidan Wedderien has been participating in soccer for 11 years, playing on the Oxnard Pal team for six of them. Wedderien plays forward and center attack midfield, and he credits his dad for such a long career in the sport.

“My dad is from Germany, and soccer is pretty big there, so he passed it down to all of his kids,” he said.

Wedderien’s dad is the coach for the Varsity soccer team at Foothill, which affected his playing habits. He likes to say his dad made him play harder when he wanted to give up.

A teammate of his, senior Cesar Camacho, stated that Wedderien has great work ethics and inspires him to do better while playing with him.

“From what I’ve noticed he hasn’t improved, only because he’s always had a very high skill level,” he said.

Camacho adds in that he feels Wedderien is a great asset to the team with his strength and determination that inspires the rest of the team.

Wedderien commented that soccer can translate into real life decisions.

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Junior Kevin Weachter, another teammate of Wedderien, says [Wedderien] “gets the team pumped up” with his drive to score a goal.

“He can score and that’s what we need now and for the rest of the time he plays soccer,” Weachter said.

Soccer has also enabled him to meet new people and change his lifestyle.

“It enabled me to meet new people [who] I probably wouldn’t have met if I didn’t play at this level. It is a competitive sport so it’s always making me want to get better and it’s an excellent way to stay in shape,” he said.

Background Photo Credit: Jessie Snyder/The Foothill Dragon Press