The high schoolers at South Bronx United are mapping out their next play: college.

The Bronx nonprofit organization trains kids to score on and off the soccer field. Lawrence Krieger is one of their coaches as they prepare their college applications.

"It's honestly a nice puzzle," Krieger said. "It's looking back at my own experience and seeing what I would have done differently. And now I can kind of help with that. And it's looking at different pieces saying, ‘You can fit there. You can fit there.’"

The Staten Islander began volunteering at South Bronx United in 2018. An avid sports fan, he was looking to combine his love for athletics and giving back.

"I feel like I can at least be of some use to somebody,” Krieger said. “And this is a great way to do it, especially tied to a soccer program, which I value also. "

Krieger has since helped a dozen teens take their next educational steps. He reads college essays and helps them ask for teacher recommendations and tick other tasks off their application lists.

"We want to make sure that they have all the information available to them that is available that, honestly, you wouldn't get at a high school where you have one or two guidance counselors,” Krieger said.

"Lawrence helped me with my college list,” said Dyna Ngala, one of Krieger’s students. “He told me more of what places I should look into."

It’s a simple mission: help teens score big.

"It's honestly like an umpire in baseball,” Krieger said. “Don't even want to know they're there. You kind of want to make sure that they're on the path that they need me to be. And I can just be there to assist."

For helping high schoolers meet their goals, Lawrence Krieger is our New Yorker of the Week.