CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- There's the saying "mama knows best" and for Ben Brockmeier, he wouldn't be playing the game of soccer if it wasn't for his mother.

"She would bring me to my elementary school every single day and just from an early age I got obsessed with it," Brockmeier said. "I remember that she used to try to get me to do crossbar challenges constantly."

It's not the flare that sticks out about his game, it's the little things that make him the player he is.

"I've never really been a big player on the field," Brockmeier said. "I've always grown up having to be scrappy and very aggressive."

"He incites energy from his teammates and he actually incites fear in his opponents in a great sportsmanship type way," Western Albemarle boys soccer coach Michael Nafziger said. 

And for Brockmeier, being a good sport doesn't stay on the pitch. Last summer, he spent time organizing volunteer events with the United Way of Charlottesville through the Bank of America student leaders program.

"I was reaching out to a lot of adults as a high school kid," Brockmeier said. "That is a little bit intimidating. I'm afraid I'm going to mess up in an email and write an error or something so there's a little bit of worry, but it's just knowing it's okay to step out of your comfort zone and take risks."

Although soccer may not be in his future, he hopes to use his experience this summer to create more change.

"I really feel like I never want anyone to be left out and so I will definitely look to do it in the future no matter where I go whether that is doing small things or actually working for a non-profit one day."

If you have a Student Athlete of the Week you'd like to nominate, you can submit a nomination form here.