Kevin O'Brien '11 Recruiting Profile

My name is Kevin O'Brien. I am currently a junior at Wellesley High School in Wellesley, MA playing for the varsity team and Mass Premier Soccer Club's (MPS) U17 Premier side. This past summer our MPS U16 Premier team competed in both the State Cup Tournament (semifinalists), and the US Club Regional Tournament qualifying for the National Final Tournament where we competed in the final losing a close match. This Fall I returned to my varsity high school team as the starting forward for the second year in a row. I was the leading goal scorer with 15 goals and 6 assists, and our team captured the Bay State Herget Conference title for the first time in 19 years. I was named to the All-Conference team. I am proud that I was also named as a team captain for next season. After splitting time as goalie and striker in youth travel soccer, I have played mostly forward and some left midfield during my high school career. I like to think my coaches always know they can count on me to give it my all on the playing field during games and practice. I love to play as much as I can, and find excuses to be out on the field trying to improve my game whether it be focusing on technique, finishing, crossing, etc. I hope to continue playing the sport I love in college. Being from Massachusetts, my geographic search for colleges includes the northeast, but I am also targeting some schools in the Carolinas, the mid-Atlantic, and California (perhaps trying to find a climate somewhat warmer than MA!). My early assessment is that I would prefer Suburban or Urban environments rather than a rural setting. I want to attend the school that fits my educational needs as well as a school that is at my level of play for soccer. I am a Roman Catholic and receptive to a school with a Catholic affiliation. I am currently focused on schools with less than 15,000 students. My dreams for college are to find a university where I can thrive academically and be a contributing member of a competitive soccer program. I have seen over the past three years that the more I play and the more touches I get on the ball, the more my performance has improved. I understand the challenge of earning a spot on a team having done so on my both my high school and club teams. While I will look for programs where I will have an opportunity to make an impact and play early on in my college experience, I understand how competitive it is. I have always been a team player, but one who looks to make a play when my team needs it. I have been a consistent goal scorer improving in proficiency at each higher level I have attained, and I am committed to working harder to continue that pattern at the college level as well. While soccer is my passion, I also compete at the varsity level in baseball and track. In my sophomore year, I was a varsity sprinter/high jumper/long jumper on the indoor track team, winning the "best newcomer" award. As a sophomore, I was the starting center-fielder on the Varsity baseball team and expect to continue in this role as well as pitch this season.