So how did you navigate going, all right, I'm gonna go from D1 to a D2 to better position yourself maybe for the ultimate outcome that you're looking for?

Yeah, for sure.

So kind of like my reasoning for, for leaving Hofstra, for one, they really wanted like an older, more experienced guy, 'Cause like of course you're seeing in Kawasaki now a lot of international guys coming in from Europe with a lot of good resumes, a lot of good playing experience over there and overseas.

Like they really wanted like an older guy and, and they literally told me like in like, you know, the meeting they're like, "We're bringing in a 24-year-old from Ireland with two years of eligibility left." So that leaves me like why, why would I stay if you're gonna have that guy coming in 24 years old from a different country playing pro and now he's coming here.

So that was kind of like my initial decision to leave, and I wanted to find a place, you know, that was gonna have the opportunity to play.

And also, that also leads the academic side of it as well, because for example, I was getting recruited by Salisbury was one, Shenandoah, Greensboro, all that stuff, all the stuff that's out of New York.

But if I were to have gone to any of those schools, I would have to wait another year to graduate, so I would've been behind a whole year of school.

Yeah no, I think an interesting thing right and Zach we talked about this in your recruiting process when I was your college pathway director and club coach and kinda going this pathway You know, we talk about all the time like trying to find your best fit not getting hung up on division label but like what's really important to you And I think for anybody that's listening and evaluating the college processes Like listen to what all of the people that are coming on these shows say Right? Twenty-four year old keeper from Ireland coming in I think some of that's gonna get curved a little bit with the fifth year rule and, and the age starting point fair But like you didn't sacrifice your degree and your academics for your soccer So like Your degree was super important to you in a specialized degree that not every school in the country has or-- and a lot actually don't But you weren't willing to sacrifice that on your best fit list just to play college soccer You stuck true to like location graduation timeline master's program and didn't get caught up in doing or going somewhere for the wrong reason if that makes sense And so ,you know as we went through your recruiting process Kinda talk about like the things Not getting caught up in the division label and you had a lot of Division one offers but like Kind of speak to what I just said What was important to Zack during that recruiting process If you were talking to a kid in a similar situation that's listening to this podcast calling "I feel..." "...like I don't know what my North Star is what my direction is." What would you give them advice in saying so to speak?