Freshman midfielder Noah Luescher may be a rookie on the Binghamton men’s soccer team, but he is unwilling to let that stop him from recording a breakthrough first season as a Bearcat. Just 10 games into 2017 play, Luescher has already put three goals and four assists on the board, formed tight bonds with his teammates and earned America East (AE) Rookie of the Week honors twice.
Fans and fellow Bearcats might be surprised to know, however, that before this August, Luescher had never even set foot on Binghamton’s campus. He chose to attend the University after simply speaking with the coaches and future team members.
“It was a little risky, but it was worth it,” Luescher said.
He credits the team with providing guidance to make the transition to life at BU and on the soccer team as smooth as possible.
“They helped me a lot,” Luescher said. “There are two guys from Germany that I can talk to in German so I talked to them before I came here, so it made my decision a little easier. I could get information directly from a player and they could tell me how it really is here as a player, as a student. That really helped me for my decision, and when I came here, the team was amazing. They showed me around, they helped me with the academic stuff. If I have questions, I can always go to the older guys and ask questions.”
The close connections Luescher has forged with his teammates are even more evident on the field. During three consecutive games earlier this season, he posted at least one assist to junior forward Nikos Psarras, with no verbal communication necessary before or during the games.
“I think Nikos is one of the best strikers on the team,” Luescher said. “He wants to score goals and he always makes these runs from behind, and I just have to deliver him the ball and most of the time he will score it. So, he knows I will deliver him the ball when he runs in behind so we never really talk about it.”
Even as a stellar team player, however, Luescher still has aspirations of his own for this season. With 10 points under his belt already, Luescher has the potential to make some noise in the AE.
“Individually, if I’m honest, I want to be Rookie of the Year,” Luescher said. “That’s my goal. I’ve won Rookie of the Week twice now and I want to keep going. I want to keep scoring goals, getting those assists and get Rookie of the Year. That’s my personal goal.”
It is a bold goal, but certainly one that is attainable for Luescher if he continues to play the way he has so far. Off the field, Luescher is also looking to make changes academically.
“I want to major in business and international management so I’m enrolled right now in Harpur College, but I want to transfer to the School of Management here, which is one of the best in the country, so that is my goal for the next step, academically,” he said.
With a game plan in mind and teammates standing with him, Luescher is making the most of his career at BU thus far. Catch him on the field this Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in the Homecoming Weekend match against UMBC at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.