Jacob VanCompernolle is one of the three UNCW Men’s Soccer Captains and behind the red band on his left arm is a story about a hard working, dedicated athlete.
Jacob is a 20-year-old junior at UNCW, majoring in business, but dreaming of a career in professional soccer.
Jacob is originally from Dallas, Texas and his first steps on a soccer field happened at the age of three. His passion for the sport started in the US Youth Soccer Association, and since then he has played for the US Soccer Federation Development Academy League, as well as in the Professional Development League(PDL) this past summer.
Jacob was invited to come to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for three months to play and train in the PDL, which was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse. In Canada, Jacob was surrounded by players from all over the world. Only two of the guys were from America, so he was able to train with and experience a wide range of style and technique.
When asked what his job is on the field, Jacob replied, “I am a defender–I know I’ve had a good game when the other team hasn’t scored any goals.” He is one of the guys to thank when our UNCW Men win a game!
So what made Jacob travel from Texas to good ole’ Wilmington, N.C.? When asked this very question, Jacob expressed that UNCW just, “felt right.”
“Honestly, I’ve always wanted to live at the beach. Growing up I thought I was going to go to school in California, but after I did my visits to those schools, I just didn’t really like them as much as I thought- nothing fit,” he said. “I came to visit UNCW and saw the team, the coach, the beach, the campus; the whole atmosphere was awesome. I knew when I left the campus that I was going to come here.”
And we sure are glad he did. This is Jacob’s second year as captain, and so far this season the team is 5-4-1, meaning five wins! Jacob mentioned that playing at UNCW has been an awesome experience, but his favorite part about playing here has been the lifelong relationships he has created with the other guys on the team.
“They are my family away from home,” Jacob added.
Being a student athlete is hard. For Jacob it is a constant balancing act between school and being the leader of a team. He is currently taking 15 credits and practicing soccer six out of seven days of the week.
“At first it was hard to balance,” said Jacob, “but they work hand in hand. Soccer makes it easy to not slack off because we are required to make certain grades and attend class. After a while you get use to how busy you get. There’s certain things you can’t do anymore [social activities], but its all worth it. Hard work pays off.”
Along with soccer, Jacob is a part of the Honors College program, has maintained a 3.5 GPA, keeps his name on the Dean’s list and is involved with a Christian Fellowship Group on campus, InterVarsity. This student has time for his team, his self, and for God. Yes ladies, he is single!
When Jacob graduates from UNCW he plans to follow his dream and play soccer professionally. “I am going to try as hard as I can, to play soccer as long as I can, until I can’t anymore,” he expressed.
Jacob’s dream is to play soccer and have a family somewhere in Europe, but if that doesn’t work out he plans to use his business degree to become an entrepreneur.
Lucky for us, Jacob will represent UNCW for another year, continuing to guard our goal and work his way to the big leagues. This hardworking, competitive, dedicated young man is going places and we wish him the best of luck.
Come watch #6 in action and support Jacob and the rest of the UNCW Men’s Soccer team at their upcoming home games:
October 12 VS James Madison – 7p.m.
October 16 VS Drexel- 7p.m.
November 2 VS William and Mary – 7p.m.
November 6 VS Northeastern – 7p.m.