By Justin Felder - bio | email
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Socastee senior goalie John Perrucci is a big part of his team's run deep in the playoffs.
Perrucci is still relatively new to the sport, and his friends are slowly catching on.
"It's funny, I sometimes tell people what I play, and they'll be like, la-what?" said Perrucci.
The Myrtle Beach High School student is a standout on Socastee's team, which features players from several other schools, though the majority are from Socastee. Perrucci says stopping shots is more mental than anything else.
"It's more of a mind game than a physical game when you play in goal," said Perrucci. "You just can't be scared of the ball, you just have to step out and get it like it's yours."
But the goalie wasn't an instant success.
"Last year was not his best year, but he's re-focused this year and to become an All-American, that's a pretty great achievement," said Socastee head coach Matt Fox.
All-American is a great achievement, and it's a nomination only five players in South Carolina can claim. Perrucci was also named to an all-star game and was nominated for all-state honors.
Perrucci worked hard for those honors, but he's still a little surprised by his success.
"It feels good," said Perrucci. "I think about it myself every day, I just believed in what I wanted to do, worked for it and it happened."
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