Wuilito Fernandes is the student-athlete to be featured in the River Hawk Club Newsletter. Fernandes is a sophomore back on the men’s soccer team, who led UMass Lowell in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points. He ended the season by being named America East Fan’s Choice Player of the Year, an America East All-Conference First Team selection, and a 2014 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Men’s All-East Region First Team honoree.
Q: The team had an excellent season this past year. You won five of your last seven games and ended up finishing third in the conference. Do you think you the team played it's best soccer down the stretch?
A: Yes, we did. It’s just the fact that we have a lot of new kids, we have so many freshmen starting the games and they actually stepped up and helped us improve day-by-day at practice. In the beginning we were struggling and then when we started to fit in as a group and know what were playing for we actually ended up performing better and getting the results that we need.
Q: What does it mean to you to not only be recognized by the coaches around the league, but by the fans around the America East as well?
A: It means a lot to me that clearly I have someone supporting me, someone looking up to me, that some people are looking at how I am trying to do my best to help myself, help the team, and help the community. It’s always a pleasure to win awards like that, and it feels good when you have a great season and people recognize you.
Q: You have so much versatility that you were able to not only bring game-to-game, but also switch positions within a game, as well. How important is your versatility to your overall game?
A: I feel like it is really important knowing that the coach deposits so much confidence in me, like putting me out there and telling me to do things. The fact that my teammates also support me and trust me that I can do the job, also makes me be more confident, and I just step on the field and try to do the best I can to help the team.
Q: You can play all three positions very well, but is there one that you prefer more than others?
A: There’s always one you like to play. I like to play striker because I like to score goals. Ever since I was a little kid that’s where I’ve been playing. I just play to help the team, I put the team first, so I'll play wherever coach thinks is going to be helpful for the team.
Q: How influential has Coach Figueroa been to you?
A: He’s a great person and a great coach, and he plays an important role on how I do on and off the field. Our relationship, I consider to be really good. He’s one the reasons why I came here. I met him before I got here and he helps me a lot with school problems, and he always gives me advice on how to solve things and basically how to face everything.
Q: You are fluent in three different languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. How long have you been fluent in those three languages and is there any interest in learning a fourth?
A: Actually I’m fluent in four languages and I know some words in French. I started learning English when I got here in 2009, and I’m fluent in Spanish. I knew some Spanish from back home and when I got here I learned more. The two I’m the most fluent in are Portuguese and Creole, which is my native language.
Q: Looking ahead to next year when you become a junior, is there something that you want to work on most to improve your game to have a more successful season in 2015?
A: There is always room for improvement, and a couple things I would like to mention is to get in better shape, my fitness to get better, and to basically get rid of some habits I have, which if I don’t rid of, will carry over to the game and it will not help me and will not help the team at all. If I get rid of these habits I know I will have a better performance, my teammates will have a better performance, and the team itself will have a better performance.
