It’s game day at William Paterson, and German Peralta is barking orders to his teammates.

“Get centered! Get centered! Drop down! Crowd the net!”

His tone carries the intensity of NCAA soccer. But Peralta, a sophomore from Belleville, doesn’t suit up for the Pioneers on the pitch. He plays for an intramural team with a decidedly un-NCAA-like name: the Roaches.

Peralta’s life reflects the multitasking of many students. An accounting major, Peralta juggles classes with service on the Student Government Association’s academic affairs committee and bussing special needs students to Paramus High School every day.

“It’s tough sometimes, you know?” Peralta said. “Life at times can be go, go, and when I crash out, I can turn into a total zombie.”

He has developed a mindset to manage his many responsibilities. “I look at it like checkpoints or tasks even,” he said. “When one thing gets done, my mind goes on to the next. Then, snap, it’s time for bed.”

On the field, Peralta works at a slower pace than he does when zooming through the other activities on his schedule. He strikes the ball deliberately, fixing his eye on a certain spot, slowly approaching the ball, and swinging his leg to kick the ball to teammates in prime scoring positions. Though he plays a defensive position, he also scores key goals, including two in just four games at one point this season.

“German is a calm presence for us,” captain Giuseppe Gallo said. “He passes better than most of the center backs I grew up with.”

Peralta, who rowed crew in high school, said he plays to stay in shape.

“I was worried about coming to school and getting lazy or complacent,” he said. “Soccer has kept me in check.”

Peralta is one of several Roaches players from Belleville. His teammate Adrian Muniz said he had wanted to play alongside Peralta for years.

“German always liked soccer, but he never tried out,” Muniz said. “Playing with him now is cool. Not as much pressure on either of us, but we still want to win.”

Another Belleville native, Samuel Mendieta, a lightning-quick wing, completes a trio with Peralta and Muniz that has been challenging for opposing teams to corral.

“We understand each other–that’s it, really,” Mendieta said. “Each of us knows where we want the ball to end up, so we each try to do our part to get a good result.”