MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: Rogers Emerges as Scoring Threat

Adjusting to playing any sport at the collegiate level can be a bumpy transition for a rookie.

But freshman forward Brian Rogers was immediately at home on the soccer pitch, dominating in the offensive third in his first year on the Harvard squad.

“Rogers did an incredible job,” rising co-captain Jaren LaGreca said. “Coming to the team and making an impact like he did is pretty difficult, [but he] came up big.”

Playing in all 19 games and starting in 15, Rogers instantly made his presence known on the field. He immediately showed that he was ready to compete, amassing a six-game point streak and scoring a goal in three consecutive matches early in the season. He would go on to score a total of six goals and have six assists for the Crimson, ranking fifth in the Ivy League and second for Harvard in goals and points.

Rogers’ contributions have already helped him earn numerous awards, including being named to the All-Ivy Second Team, Soccer America All-Freshman Second Team, College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team, and NSCAA All-Northeast Region Third Team.

He was also selected to be one of the “100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On” for 2009 by College Soccer News, named the conference Rookie of the Week three times in the fall, and honored as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Rogers defers to his teammates for helping him feel comfortable on the pitch.

“I was a little nervous...making the transition to playing the sport at the collegiate level,” he said. “But the coach and staff and the upperclassmen really made it a pretty smooth transition for me and...the rest of the rookies on our team...I have to commend my teammates for making me feel comfortable and having a lot of faith in me.”

Especially helpful to Rogers was co-captain Andre Akpan, Harvard’s all-time leading scorer and a recent draft pick of the Colorado Rapids.

“We had a great relationship,” Rogers said. “[Akpan] definitely helped mentor me and helped me to make the transition. It was an ideal situation to come and have him there.”

With Akpan gone next season, there will be more pressure on Rogers to build off of the success of his freshman year and to continue capitalizing on his goal-scoring opportunities. But his teammates have confidence in the rising sophomore’s ability to carry the offense.

“Brian Rogers did really well [and] really stepped up,” senior midfielder Desmond Mitchell said. “He has a very promising future, [and we’ve] really seen him develop from day one.”

—Staff writer Stephanie E. Herwatt can be reached at sherwatt@college.harvard.edu.