Lexow: How have you approached your role as captain on the pitch?

Chan: I’ve talked a lot about this with the team: I think it’s good when you have players who fill different roles, whether it’s being vocal, leading by example or connecting with each member of the team. I fall into that third category a bit more — obviously I strive to do all three — but I try to create relationships with everyone. Though, sometimes it’s hard because you have people who are 23 and some who aren’t 18 yet, and you have to bridge that gap.

Lexow: I seek to lead by example. I always take pride in being the hardest worker on the field, and hopefully people follow suit. For the most part, like you were saying, it’s good for you to have captains that can fill different roles, and one of the things that I think men’s soccer was missing this year was a vocal, confrontational captain. This year, it was me, Felix Dyckerhoff, who’s a junior, and Ben Trask, and none of us are really confrontational people. We knew that coming into this so we have had to lean on other people that are more confrontational — like Felipe Remon has been a big help in that standpoint. I am trying to lead the underclassmen as much as I can, whether that be through soccer or academics.

Chan: How’d you get started in this sport?

Lexow: I started when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I feel like most kids kind of just get thrown into a bunch of sports and you fall in love with one. For me that was soccer, and I’ve loved it ever since. 

Chan: I agree. You play those little rec leagues when you’re 4 years old, and looking back at pictures, I remember my shin guards were the size of the bottom half of my leg, my hair is down and we’re all mobbing after the ball, no one knew what they were doing. You’re right — you do just fall in love with it. And when you’ve been playing it for 18 years now, it’s just something that you know like the back of your hand, and it becomes part of who you are.

Lexow: It just flies by too. I was on the phone with my parents the other day and I was telling them how I was about to go to my last soccer practice ever, and they were just running through all the teams I’ve been on when I was younger and how much of a journey it’s been.

Chan: What piece of advice would you give to new players joining the team?

Lexow: When you look back on this experience in 20 years, you’re not really going to remember the goals or the wins. It’s going to be about the memories you made with your team and honestly, I’ve felt that a lot more this year. It finally dawned on me that we have such a close-knit team when I missed that penalty against Emory that, arguably, ended our season. I had guys text me on the team who I would never assume would reach out to me — I had freshmen text me, people in every single class reached out. 

Chan: Wow, can we just end it there? That is definitely the most important piece of advice you could ever give to someone going into something as special as this. On top of that, you will get out of the program as much as you can put in. I know that it’s sometimes difficult because this is a D-III school. It’s not a D-I program where soccer is everyone’s life. But that’s why we chose to play this program — you have the option to live outside of your sport. You only get four years so why not spend every waking minute supporting each other, lifting each other up?

Lexow: Bryce Chan, you scored your first collegiate goal for the Violets against the University of Chicago. Could you talk us through that, how it felt and what it meant to you, especially during Pride Night?

Chan: In high school, everyone has at least scored one goal in their life. I’ve been part of those electric goal-scoring moments but never actually been the scorer. I wasn’t really upset about it, but it was something I wanted to prove to myself. I just needed one, and I knew I wouldn’t get a lot of chances. It was so fun, and I was on cloud nine for a few days after. 

I’m so happy it was during that night as well — it was the first Pride Night in my time here. A couple of us helped organize it and the team, the coaches and the department rallied behind us and made it super meaningful. Everything conspired for that to happen in that moment. I didn’t score in the past three years for many reasons, but also because I was supposed to score that night! I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Chan: What is one quality you take from each other’s game?

Lexow: One thing you do, that I don’t, is get stuck in the tackles. Every time I see you play, you go into a 50/50 tackle, and you always win. It’s very respectable, and you are a defensive midfielder, and that’s what you need to do. You always do it, and it is something that a lot of players don’t do.

Chan: Thanks Bryce, that’s very kind. The nature of your position, especially as a defender, is that you’re not always going to be getting the ball. You also never stop running. It’s very apparent that you are always working the hardest you can and we’re always like ‘Wow, he never stops.’ 

Lexow: What’s been your favorite thing about being an NYU athlete?

Chan: I mean, I never shut up about my teammates. It’s so great that this sport, and this program, brings people together for life. We travel together outside of soccer, we are already planning wedding lists with each other. I would also say that the field we practice on at Pier 40 is a gorgeous practice field. When you go to the roof, there is a view of the World Trade Center and all of downtown Manhattan and you’re just playing soccer with your best friends up there. It’s unreal and it feels so special. 

Lexow: There are so many people here, so as a freshman it can feel so unbelievably lonely. I think being a student-athlete is a huge help because you come in and you have a group of friends basically waiting for you. I’ve always been a pretty shy kid, so being able to walk on to such a tight-knit team who welcomes you with open arms has been a great feeling.

Contact Jonathan Mak at [email protected].