Our latest Athlete of the Week takes us to the Owego boys soccer team and senior midfielder Matt Higgins, Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Amphenol Aerospace.

For Owego River Hawks boys soccer player Matt Higgins, playing soccer has been a way of life growing up being mentored by both his father as his head coach and his older brother.

"He was really the main reason I started playing soccer," said Higgins. "Also my brother, he played soccer and he was older than me so watching him play soccer really made me want to follow in his footsteps."

The senior midfielder not only plays soccer in various seasons, but also plays basketball and baseball for OFA where Higgins says that being on the court helps him with his composure on the pitch.

"Basketball taught me to stay calm, be on the ball and don't get overwhelmed and to just stay strong, hold the ball and then find the open man."

Higgins says a big contributor to the overall success of his game is modeling it after his coach Alessio DeMichele who would play in 32 games at Division III Nazareth also as a midfielder.

"Everything I do is really what he's taught me to do and how I play is how I would imagine he plays," said Higgins. "It's really nice to have him as a coach and have such a good player as a coach that allows me to learn so much."

Everything I do is really what he's taught me to do. And how I play is how like I would imagine he plays. So it's really nice to have him as a coach and have such a good player as a coach that allows me to learn so much.

As for DeMichele, he says that he appreciates being a role model however includes that Higgins has certain factors that make him a tad better.

"He can score more goals and he can actually dribble past people," said DeMichele. "I don't know if he's quite the same in terms of dictating the players around him, but he's got more of a threat."

Although Matt may not be as vocal of a captain compared to most, his play on the field speaks for itself and establishes a level of respect for the entire group.

"We're trying to give them more confidence to find their voice and be a little bit more," said DeMichele. "He is a leader by example and he has the quiet word and when Matt does speak, the whole group listens."

As for his impact on the players, nobody has seen it more than his fellow senior Vasil Brich. Brich currently leads the team in goals this season and says Higgins has played a massive impact on the overall success of the team and his game in particular.

"I could always trust him when he gets the ball and I feel calm," said Brich. "I just feel like when he gets the ball, we create so much chances with him".

Higgins says after graduating this Spring, he hopes to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level.

To nominate someone for athlete of the week, email Sports Director Thomas Turgeon at [email protected] , be sure to include the athletes name, school, and sport.