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Ben Lewis is a northeast Tennessee native. He grew up in Kingsport and played soccer for Kingsport Youth Soccer Association (KYSA) from the age of 5 until he was 16. From U13 through U-16, he was coached by Knoxville Fusion FC DOC, Jon Schneider. He spent his U-17 and U-18 years playing for the Knoxville Stars Soccer Club.
In 2001, Ben graduated high school and went on to Lee University as a pre-med major and member of the soccer team. Ben played his freshman year, after which he decided to leave the team to due to internal problems within the men’s squad. This gave him time to focus on academics and to pursue different interests. “Deciding to leave Lee’s team was one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make,” he says. “I know though that God used the rest of my varied college experiences to prepare me for my future. Romans 8:28 really is true in my life; I know that God is ‘using everything for good’.” While at Lee, he continued to practice “the beautiful game” by playing intramural indoor and outdoor soccer. In 2005, he graduated magna cum laude with a 3.9 GPA as Biology major/Spanish minor. He is currently weighing graduate school options.
Ben started coaching with Fusion FC in the spring of 2007. He says, “While winning is fun and great, in our culture of youth sports, it is often, sadly the main emphasis. Coaching allows me to be a model for youth so as to encourage their individual athletic, social, and spiritual maturation. Coaching with Fusion FC provides me with the counter-cultural opportunity to focus on what matters most—the players.”
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