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The pair resided in Newfoundland, with Josh growing up in St. John’s and Nick growing up in Paradise. As Nick describes, Paradise is to St. John’s, as Lively is to Sudbury, basically part of the city but still, a few minutes’ drive outside the downtown area.

Both boys fell in love with soccer early on; by age 6, they were kicking around a soccer ball. Nick would go on to play for Paradise local soccer club till he was 15 years. Once that team folded, he joined Josh at a local club in St. John’s.

Playing sports on the rock isn’t like anything in Canada; it’s constant travel for competitions, often flying around the east coast to places like Halifax and even flights to central Canada for a weekend. Playing sports in Newfoundland also puts athletes at a disadvantage regarding the recruiting process. No coach would come to them, so it was on the players to ensure the varsity coach noticed them. Nick described sending his highlight tape to 17 varsity coaches in Canada. He did whatever he had to do in order to get his name and skills on display. Of those 17 schools, Laurentian was among them. After speaking with Tony Tagliafierro, the newly minted head coach, Nick was starting to see himself living in Sudbury, Ontario.   

Within 12 hours of Josh sending over his tapes, The first-year coach got back to him, and with that, it was the start and the end of Josh’s recruiting process. 

In March 2022, both boys realized that they were getting scouted by Laurentian. The experience brought them together, and each realized that Laurentian was the place for them.

Not only would they play on the same soccer team again, 3,200 km away from home, but both boys would be studying in the same program. The Sports Administration program was the main attraction for the boys to come to Sudbury, but getting the chance to play varsity soccer in Ontario, especially for coach Tony, was super exciting. 

Once here, the boys lean on each other, on and off the soccer pitch. The challenges that come from living away from home for the first time are some things most first-year students experience, but for Josh and Nick, home was two flights away. Everything from classes, homework, training sessions to learning the OUA’s fast style of soccer and even experiencing a Northern Ontario winter for the first time was all done together.

Both freshmen express gratitude for the other. It’s not easy moving two time zones away from friends, family, and everything you know. This experience has created a bond that both boys hope to continue for a long time. 

As Freshmen looking to complete their degrees in 4 or 5 years, Nick and Josh hope to continue their soccer journeys at Laurentian and ultimately help the men’s soccer team win a championship.