It's been a whirlwind of the past six months for former Elon men's soccer standout Daniel Lovitz. After concluding an exciting 2013 senior campaign in which he helped the Phoenix advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time, the Wyndmoor, Pa., native was invited to the 2014 Major League Soccer Combine, but was unable to compete due to injury. Still, Lovitz became Elon's highest drafted player ever in the MLS SuperDraft after being selected 24^th overall by Toronto FC.
 
The playmaking midfielder, who was named the 2013 Southern Conference Player of the Year, earned his first professional contract after impressing the club during preseason camps. Lovitz was later assigned to Toronto's USL Pro Club affiliate, Wilmington Hammerheads FC, where he recently scored his first goal against the Pittsburg Riverhounds on April 15, in a 4-3 victory.
 
Shortly after his performance, Lovitz took some time to answer some questions and to give Phoenix fans a chance to catch up with one of the most exciting players that ever donned the maroon and gold.
 
Describe your experiences so far at the professional ranks? What has stood out the most to you?
 
DL: "The last few months have been a whirlwind. My time with Toronto FC during the preseason was extremely exciting and my transition to Wilmington has been a great experience. Both preseasons required a lot of hard work to get fit, rehab my knee and attempt to find a role within each team. At this point, I realize how important it is to manage a healthy lifestyle that allows for mental and physical sharpness at all times. There's tons of opportunities each day to get better as long as you identify them and follow through on a lot of the little things."
 
How did playing at Elon prepare you for the professional level?
 
DL: "Elon prepared me for a lot of what I've seen at the professional level. Coach (Darren) Powell always treated us like young professionals and provided us with honest feedback on a day-to-day basis. As a pro, every aspect of your game is quantified and qualified constantly while being analyzed by everyone and anyone. The fact that I was exposed to such detail oriented coaching in college really helped prepare me for dialogue with coaching staffs at this level and obtaining a better picture of myself as a player."
 
What has been the reaction of some of you former teammates, coaches and supporters?
 
DL: "I can't ask for better support. Constant contact with former teammates, coaches and family was crucial during my time in Toronto. Their encouragement allowed me to maintain the mental capacity to compete every day for a contract. Even now, all of the calls, emails and texts I get throughout the week and then surrounding game days are great. I'm incredibly fortunate to have so many people that really care and are invested in my success reaching out to me on a regular basis."
Talk about the honor of earning your professional contract.
 
DL: "Signing with Toronto FC was absolutely a dream come true. It was an emotional journey to just make it to Toronto. Forgoing the combine to undergo knee surgery almost a month before MLS preseasons would start wasn't an easy decision for me. It was extremely disheartening to be confined to a couch and a bag of ice when I envisioned myself training leading up to the draft. With all that said, I'm so grateful for how things played out. I was provided with an opportunity to chase my dream and I'm certainly proud to have accomplished what I did while I was in Toronto and ultimately sign a contract. I've now been provided with a chance to progress as a professional in Wilmington and I intend to make the most of it."
 
You scored your first goal recently as a professional. Talk about that as well as other top moments so far.
 
DL: "It's been great to start regular season play with Wilmington and I'm thrilled to have begun to make an impact. The atmosphere in Pittsburgh was awesome and it made scoring my first goal all the more exciting. It was amazing for the team to score four goals on the road and it feels good to look back and know you had a direct influence on three of those goals, but I'm intent on improving the quality of my overall performances moving forward."