Nick Rockwell, a second-year midfielder for URI men’s soccer team, from Barrington, Rhode Island, achieved every kid’s dream: the opportunity to play Division I sports at their home state’s university.
The University of Rhode Island’s men’s soccer team elevated Rockwell from team manager to active roster player on Friday, Sept. 15th, a day before the Atlantic 10 conference opener in Ohio against Dayton. The team traveled to face off against the Flyers and Nick did not know what was going to happen, but he was called on by head coach Garreth Elliot and had a few comments about the moment.
“I was excited,” Rockwell said. “I wasn’t really expecting too much and then to play was unexpected and it was awesome.”
Less than 24 hours before, Rockwell was told by the coaches that he would be brought up to the active roster and could possibly suit up against Dayton. He described what he felt when they told him.
“I was honestly kinda speechless,” Rockwell said. “When he told me I was traveling with the team, it was incredible.”
Coach Elliot discussed why the coaching staff landed on Rockwell to be called up to the roster in a time of need.
“We’ve known Nick for awhile, he’s always out here training,” Elliot said. “When we really needed more bodies to travel with we decided to add him to the roster, we know he’s a good player.”
Elliot expanded on Nick’s work ethic and how he got to the moment to play for the team.
“Nick works hard, he loves the game,” Elliot said. “He’s always out there practicing whether he’s part of the roster or not, he’s always out there doing extra stuff.”
Rockwell was born and raised in Rhode Island, and has achieved something he never believed would be possible. He described what it meant to him to play for Rhody.
“When I was younger I dreamed of playing for URI,” he said. “Now that the dream’s a reality, it’s surreal.”
Rockwell has delivered in his role with the Rams, playing meaningful minutes in both games during the team’s roadtrip to Dayton and Bryant, playing 20 and nine minutes respectively. Coach Elliot saw Rockwell’s performance in his two appearances and noted that it is possible that we could see him more down the stretch.
“We’ll see if he gets any more minutes the rest of the season,” Elliot said. “He’s a hard worker and he’s getting better.”
Rockwell knew the team from his time as manager, but he also spent time as a teammate with many of them prior to his chance with the Rams. Rockwell talked about his soccer background and how he fit in with the team.
“I feel like I fit in well with the guys,” Rockwell said. “I’ve played with them before, some of them at Bayside [FC Academy]. So I don’t think there’s any problems out on the field, we have great chemistry.”
Rockwell and his teammates have a tenure together, but he also gets his experience on the pitch from somewhere else: Spain.
“After my senior year of high school I took a gap year,” Rockwell said. “I played in Spain for a year, and that was a blast.”
Rockwell did not appear in the Rams’ most recent 0-0 matchup against La Salle, but as he continues to grow on and off the field, we may see him used more by Elliot in the future.
The Rams’ next face off is against the Saint Louis Billikens on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Missouri.