Mozart. Leonardo DeCaprio. Shawn White. What do these three people have in common? They all proved to have extraordinary talents at young ages.
The odds of finding someone whose hard work and determination rivals these three is one in a blue moon. But there is a new talent brewing on the soccer field at LHS. He goes by the name Lloyd Chatfield.
Only a freshman, Chatfield has already made the varsity soccer team, which is a very challenging feat for someone so young. He plays the position of midfielder. According to head soccer coach Andy Bitta, only four freshmen have made varsity in his 25 years as a coach. Chatfield’s strong work ethic and physical strength made him stand out.
“Every day when Lloyd came to summer camp, he was one of the hardest workers at camp, always pushing himself. For his age, he is very strong. He can take a hit from the older players,” Bitta said.
Chatfield said that he was “shocked” when he heard he made varsity.
“It was a real honor, and I love the whole experience. The high school team has allowed me to meet a lot of cool people, and playing with older and more skilled players has helped me develop my game,” Chatfield said.
Bitta thinks that Lloyd has a lot to contribute to the high school team.
“He gives 110% in practice and games, he works to improve his skills, and most important, he will play any position on this team to make it better,” said Bitta.
People who saw Chatfield’s performance on the soccer field during his middle school career were not as shocked about his achievement of making varsity as a freshman. In fact, last year when Lloyd played for the Eclipse soccer team, his team worked its way up the ranks, and became the 2010 National Champions. He had two assists during the title game.
“Winning the championship was awesome. It felt really great. My teammates and I were really excited about it. It was the best feeling of my life,” Chatfield said.
Talk about impressive. Not only is Chatfield a national champion, but he also had an appearance in a recent "Sport Illustrated" under the Faces in the Crowd section.
“My uncle came to the championship and was really amazed at how well the team did. He submitted my name to Sports Illustrated. [My coach and I] got some phone calls, and about a week or two later they put the article in ‘Faces in the Crowd’,” Chatfield said.
Chatfield gets his inspiration from his favorite soccer player Ziatan Ibrahimovic, who is the striker for AC Milan.
“He’s a big man, but he can still move the ball really well,” Chatfield said.
When the high school season is over, Lloyd plans to play for the Chicago Fire Developmental Team out of Oakbrook. He someday hopes to play soccer for University of Indiana or even a professional team.
“My favorite thing about playing soccer is just the game itself and how it’s such a universal passion and so many people love it. I still consider myself an aspiring athlete, and I try really hard at every aspect of my game to do what I can to improve,” Chatfield said.
photo by Matt Kalish
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