The step from high school to college provides some athletes with an opportunity to compete at the highest level possible.
Then again, for most athletes, the move to college is a different transition: It’s a time to say good-bye.
Senior defenseman Pat Kelly refused to buy into that theory.
Four years ago, the All-Conference, All-Pennsylvania and a regional All-American soccer star at Holy Ghost Prep in Pennsylvania was in a precarious position not uncommon to many high school seniors.
With no legitimate collegiate offers on the table, a life-changing decision was looming, one that could have potentially signaled the end of his soccer career.
“I knew I could play at the Division III level if I wanted to,” said Kelly. “But I wanted to challenge myself in a Division I program.”
That Division I team turned out to be Fairfield.
“I knew it was going to be competitive because it was a good program,” said Kelly.
This isn’t to say that Fairfield soccer is Notre Dame football. While it was far from a Rudy Ruettiger miracle, it is safe to say that the 5’8″, 145-pounder scratched and clawed his way onto the Stags’ roster as a freshman.
In fact, Kelly was faced with yet another obstacle merely days into his young career.
Based on the coaches’ evaluation and the needs of the team, Kelly was asked to play fullback, a position completely foreign to him.
“I came in and I was put in a position that I had never played before, and it took time to learn how to play (defenseman),” said Kelly.
Most freshmen athletes swim slowly to adjust to their new waters; Kelly was barely treading water.
Eventually, he did learn the new position, but it did not come without struggle. He was constantly pushed in practice to work as hard as possible.
“Everyone said try harder, try harder,” Kelly said.
From the outset, he was told that the team needed to see more out of him, that the utmost effort was still not enough.
At the conclusion of his freshman season, Kelly got no further than the bench.
As if that was not enough, the demanding nature of the program was always pushing him to the brink.
“I did almost quit,” said Kelly. “But I knew that I couldn’t go to school here if I didn’t play.”
Kelly bent, but he did not break.
After strong off-season training, he returned to the team as a sophomore. He would play in six games during his sophomore year, all as a reserve.
One year later, though, Kelly still found trouble breaking through. Despite the Stags’ success in 2006, he only appeared in five games.
“Not playing for three years and sitting on the bench, it was tough,” said Kelly. “It’s tough when you’ve grown up through the program and you don’t play.”
Perhaps it was the realization of a senior whose time was gradually dwindling, or it was the coming-of-age of a player still in transition to a new position, but the calendar change from 2006 to 2007 became Kelly’s ultimate blessing.
Suddenly, it all seemed to click.
Thus far, Kelly has started 10 of 12 games at fullback for the Stags, who have seven wins on the season and seem poised for another run at the MAAC championship.
While he may not be an offensive stud or capable of a highlight reel play, many on the Stags are quick to point out that Kelly is as much of a contributor as any.
“Pat’s been dynamite for us. I think he’s grabbed the opportunity to play,” said Head Coach Carl Rees.
“He’s steadfast, he is reliable. In that particular position, as a coach and as a teammate, that’s exactly what you’re looking for,” he said.
To Kelly, though, personal success does not mean as much as the team.
The accounting major still says that his ultimate goal is a trip to Florida for one last run at glory in the NCAA tournament.
Still, the senior could not help but smile when asked how it felt to finally be a starter and assess how far he has come.
“It really is the best feeling that there is,” said Kelly. “You just have to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
And that light finally came.
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