By Jim Hague
Kevin East probably said it best when describing his sensational sophomore goalkeeper Andres Medina.
“Andres wants to do his best in everything he does,” Rutgers-Newark head men’s soccer coach East said of Medina. “It’s in his DNA. Andres is special. He can excel in athletics and academics. He is an extremely driven individual. He’s a first class person.”
When Medina attended St. Benedict’s Prep, a campus just a few blocks away from R-N, he only had one thing in mind - playing soccer.
“When I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, I was playing for PDA (the Players Development Academy, the finest travel soccer program in New Jersey),” Medina said. “So I didn’t take school seriously. I thought I was going to be a D-I (NCAA Division I) soccer player. I didn’t care.”
But when most colleges shied away from Medina because he was a 5-foot-6 goalkeeper, Medina realized that he had to change his ways.
“I’ve been facing that my whole soccer life,” Medina said. “I’m not trying to prove anyone wrong. It’s just because I’m not 6-foot-5, I tend to get overlooked. It’s ok.”
When Medina decided to select a school to continue his education, he looked no further than the school down University Avenue from St. Benedict’s.
“I chose Rutgers-Newark mainly because of the academics,” Medina said. “The Rutgers business school is one of the best in the country. When I knew I wasn’t going D-I, I had to take a step back and apply to the more prestigious school.”
After getting accepted to R-N, Medina reached out to contact East to see if the coach would be interested in having another goalie on campus.
“I knew that he was a very good goalkeeper,” East said. “But he didn’t project as a great student. To be honest, I didn’t know if he was going to be able to cut it. I know financially it wasn’t easy for Andres and his family, but I think he just decided that he was going to squeeze everything out of college he could get out if it. He was going to make the most of it.”
So Medina became a dedicated student.
“There are times when I call him late at night and he says, ‘Coach, I’m in the library studying,’” East said. “He works hard at what he does. He wants to get A’s in the classroom.”
Apparently, Medina is getting top grades at both soccer and on his final grade reports.
In soccer, Medina was in goal for all 20 of the Scarlet Raiders’ victories last fall, including the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship win over Rowan, giving R-N its first-ever NJAC soccer title. Medina posted a stingy 0.47 goals against average and recorded 12 shutouts.
Medina was named the NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year, named First Team All-NJAC and earned All-ECAC First Team honors while also garnering the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year award. Medina led the NJAC in every goalkeeping statistical category, including minutes played, save percentage, shutouts and saves. Medina was second in the entire nation in minutes played with 2,094.
In the classroom, carrying a double major of finance and accounting, Medina posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
For his efforts, Medina has been selected as first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Medina is the first men’s soccer athlete to ever receive first-team Academic All-America honors. He was the lone NJAC athlete to receive Academic All-America recognition.
“It was definitely an ‘Oh, my God’ reaction,” Medina said after hearing the news recently. “I was so excited. I never thought it was possible. I don’t worry about getting awards. I don’t try to prove anyone wrong. I play soccer for myself and for my team. That’s my concern.”
And Medina is able to achieve so much while being diminutive in stature.
“I appreciate how well I’m doing, because I am so small,” Medina said. “But the thing I’m most proud of is my grades. I came to Rutgers-Newark because of the academics. I didn’t know how well I would do. It’s great for me and my family, because when I’m done, I’m going to be swimming in loans. But things will be a little easier when I get out.”
East is impressed with the improvement of Medina.
“The improvement from last year to this year has been tremendous,” East said. “He had to grow some as a player. I think last year he relied too much on his natural athletic ability. We spoke in the offseason how he needed to show more leadership. He needed to be more vocal. He became a leader by default. And he’s really taken on that role. He knows how to keep developing as we move forward. He is trying to read the game more. He’s reading the play earlier. It takes some time and seasoning, but he’s a lot more comfortable in goal.
Added East, “We know what to expect from Andres now. He’s pretty much seen it all. He knows how other teams play and that’s an advantage to him.”
Medina will spend the offseason playing for the New Jersey Knights, a club team in central New Jersey that features some of his R-N teammates, as well as some players from Monmouth University.
Medina will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“He definitely has a bright future,” East said. “As we move forward, he definitely has a challenge next year. He’s going to be busier in goal, because we’ll be playing more underclassmen. He’s going to be called into action.”
Medina, who was born in the United States, but comes from Colombia descent, said that he is leaning toward a career in accounting when he graduates from Rutgers-Newark.
“But I’m also interested in computer science, so I may take some classes in that,” Medina said. “I’ve definitely set the bar high now. I just have to keep it all going.”
