In today’s intern-to-player one-on-one interview, Captain Rudolph got a chance to catch up with Nate Jones about soccer, Vermont, and spirit animals.
Captain Rudolph: You’ve been playing soccer your whole life, how and when did you make the decision to play the center back position and what do you love about playing from the back?
Nate Jones: So, I was a winger growing up for the longest time through my freshmen and sophomore years of high school. Then, I started playing left back until I grew to 6’2. At that point my coaches told me I needed to play center back. I was really good at winning headers and stuff like that so around senior year of high school I started contemplating it, but I didn’t really start playing center back until I got to college. I like the fact that I’m winning headers and putting in massive tackles on people. That’s like the best part. I would like to score goals, but that’s not as big of a thing for me anymore. I’d rather just clear somebody out.
CR: What has been the highlight of your time in Vermont thus far?
NJ: North Beach at Lake Champlain for sure. I didn’t really think Vermont had beaches here. Now, I bike there every other day and just hang out. It’s not super packed all the time which is relaxing when I want to get out of the house.
CR: What have you liked about playing under Coach Pfeifer?
NJ: Pfeifer doesn’t beat around the bush with anybody. He’s just straight up. He was talking to us the other day and said that if we’re not playing, he’d be open to having a meeting and just talking about it. Seeing how straightforward he is, I really like that. He doesn’t hide anything from us.
CR: What’s the highlight of your football playing career?
NJ: It would have to be in college. Scoring goals is fun, but I think beating Stanford at home 3-0 last year might be one of the best highlights because that was just a great game. We played well, they didn’t score on us, we had a clean sheet, and we met all the anticipation building up with a solid result. That was awesome
CR: What are your goals for the upcoming season with the Huskies in Washington?
NJ: Well, obviously I want to win another Pac-12 title after we won one last year. Everybody talks about going undefeated. Yeah, we want to go undefeated but that might not always work out. It’s more important to be playing consistent. I want to get past the second round because that’s when we lost last year. Getting past the sweet sixteen and elite 8 and back to the college cup is definitely a goal of mine. But right now it’s Vermont Green and the Pac-12 play that I’m really focused on.
CR: What would you say is your spirit animal?
NJ: That’s a tough one. I think a brown bear probably because I like to chill out and I feel like I’m a pretty happy guy, but when I need to turn it on during a game and be aggressive, I can do that. So I sort of have that dual aspect like a bear.
CR: If a VGFC fan were to find themself in Seattle, where would you suggest they eat?
NJ: Oooooh. Ok, they need to go to Dick’s Burgers obviously. They need to go hit Ezell’s or Bok Bok’s for really good chicken. And then, if they want a really good breakfast burrito they should go to Mas Cafe and eat it at Gas Works Park. There’s also Voula’s which is a great breakfast spot.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
