It's More Than Just the Pitch

SEATTLE- Over the past four years, the O’Dea soccer program hasn’t just built winning teams, it’s built a legacy. From storming into the state finals to shaping raw talent into pro, Division 1, and Division 2 athletes, the program has become a foundation for ambition. And beyond the college commitments for athletics, it continues to push young men toward something bigger, excellence that carries them into some of the nation's top universities. 

That legacy is visible not only in trophies or highlight reels, but in the lives shaped by the program’s expectations. O’Dea soccer has been known for having a competitive edge and the personal growth that surrounds it. The program’s success is as much about character as it is about competition. 

Former captain Jack Huson, now studying at New York University, credits the program with shaping the way he approaches challenges both on and off the field.  

“While playing soccer, especially during my time at O’Dea, I learned many valuable lessons like how to lead, work efficiently and effectively with a team, and continue to strive for success long after the odds began to stack against me,” Huson said.  

For Huson, collegiate ball was in the mind but that path didn’t play out, but with the lessons he learned from the O’Dea soccer program still helped him drive to get into one of the top Universities. The lessons extended far beyond the pitch into classrooms, relationships, and the transition to life away from home. The program, he explained, taught him to be “coachable, adaptable, and resilient.”  

That emphasis on growth is intentional. O’Dea’s coaching staff has built a system that demands excellence in every aspect. The varsity team’s average weighted GPA was a 4.35 (unweighted 3.85), which reflects the mindset that academics are not an afterthought but a requirement. Coaches push players to prepare for futures that extend beyond soccer, ensuring that every athlete has a foundation strong enough to support whatever path they choose. 

For some, that path leads to the highest levels of the sport. The program has produced professional players like DeAndre Yedlin, who went on to play for 7 international clubs USA national team, and Connor Lofy, who won an NCAA championship at the University of Washington before being drafted to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the same week. Others have carved out impressive collegiate careers, including Julius Suber at Duke,  

Elliot Spatz at Connecticut College, Elliot Falor now at Evergreen, Markus Winkler Cook, who began at Bellevue College and is transferring to Evergreen, and many more.  

Falor remembers the environment that pushed him to grow.  

“For academic greatness I used everyday resources available to me through school to help me learn to the best of my ability,” Falor said. “For athletic success I was pushed by the brothers around me to be my best and succeed.” 

 That combination of internal drive and external support is a benchmark for the program, players pushing each other, and in doing so, elevating the entire team. 

But O'Dea's influence reaches even those who didn’t continue with soccer in college. Many alumni have gone on to prestigious universities purely for academics, including Carter Gribble at Texas Christian University, Jack Suk, Ben Sollom, and Kyle Lofy at Notre Dame, Fekadu Wakemen at Arizona State University. Their stories reflect the programs broader mission of developing young men capable of thriving in any environment. 

Wakemen still carries the lessons of his playing days.  

“The O’Dea soccer program changed how I think about goals and problems,”  

Wakemen remembers the structure, focus, and mental preparation emphasized by the coaching staff.  Wakemen recalled, assistant coach Derrek Falor (Elliot Falor’s father), taught players to understand their roles, stay mentally clear, and execute with purpose. “Most importantly,” Wakemen added, “have fun, love what you are doing and striving for and the success will come.” 

The legacy built over the past four years is not defined by a single season or standout player. It is defined by the collective, the pros, the collegiate athletes, and scholars, and the leaders shaped by a program that demands excellence and supports ambition. O’Dea soccer doesn’t just prepare its players for the next game, it prepares them for life.