Luis Zapata
Kay Fish always told her son to do his best in all that he does, whether it’s dealing with pre-school kids, putting up fence posts, athletics or academics.
Sophomore Daniel Fish hasn’t forgotten the advice that his mother instilled in him since elementary school and it has reflected both on the field and in the classroom.
Growing up in a family with an extremely competitive nature, Daniel said his parents encouraged him at a young age to participate in sports.
“My mom played basketball, softball, pretty much every sport, and my dad played football,” he said. “Neither one of them played soccer, but nonspecific to soccer, they always told me to do my best.”
His mother recognized early signs of competition during a board game when he was just 3-years-old.
“His first glance at being competitive was with his grandmother during a game of Checkers,” she said. “They were playing, and I came in from work and his grandma was in a disagreement with a 3-year-old because he had supposedly illegally jumped her and he was winning.”
Competitiveness stuck with Daniel throughout his childhood years, as he began playing recreation league soccer at the age of 5. According to Daniel, he developed soccer skills early, and a family friend who had worked in all different parts of the country helped him with his fundamentals.
Soccer wasn’t the only thing he excelled in; his mother said he sometimes struck every batter out in Little League Baseball. He set the Wake County field goal record in 2005 when he kicked a 49-yard field goal for the Athens Drive High School football team, a record that was later broken.
“One season in high school he played 78-80 games between school soccer, school football and club soccer on the weekends while still maintaining a 4.2 GPA,” she said.
Daniel said he loves soccer, but academics are the key to everything for him as he plans to attend medical school after graduation.
“Ever since elementary school, I’ve told him that he’s one injury away from never playing again,” Kay said. “Academics have to be first.”
Coach George Tarantini echoed the importance of academics and said grades were one of the factors he considered while recruiting Fish.
“His high school was pretty close, and we liked his academics and athletic ability. He had the whole package, which was very exciting,” he said. “When someone comes from the community, the expectations are very huge, and you have to be sure that they are going to help the team. Daniel is beyond all expectations.”
With three ACC games remaining in the season, Tarantini said Fish is a vital part of the team’s efforts.
“His hard work in practice and the games are what are making this team turn around,” Tarantini said. “He is very influential in the way he plays, the intensity he brings to the team.”
Strong work ethic is a quality Fish possessed years ago, but right now he said his ultimate goal is making all the contributions necessary to help the team win.
“I work hard and fight for every ball,” he said. “I may not be the most skilled player in the world, but I want to win and make my teammates better. I’ll do whatever I have to do, play wherever I have to play and lay myself out there for my team.”
The best thing about Daniel, according to Tarantini, is his determination.
“He never gives up,” the coach said. “He is the type of guy who will give you everything he has for 90 minutes.”