ROCKINGHAM — When the St. Andrews University soccer program offered Carlos Alcocer a scholarship to continue his soccer career with the Knights, there was no second guessing his decision.
Alcocer, a senior at Richmond Senior High School, signed his commitment letter to join the Knights on Friday in the school’s media center. He was joined by Raider head coach Chris Larsen, former coach Bennie Howard, St. Andrews head coach Stevan Hernandez and assistant Victor Moreira.
But the most important group of people sitting with him when he made the next four years of his life official was his family: his father Jose, his mother Maribel and his sister Abigail.
“I chose St. Andrews because I wanted to stay close to my family,” Alcocer said. “They motivate me to play soccer. I’ve always been close to my dad, and he explains things to me. I feel like being close to him will help me in college because he knows the game better than I do.”
A four-year player on the Raider soccer team, Alcocer participated in a St. Andrews soccer camp in February. That visit helped move the process along, as the midfielder had also received interest from Cape Fear Community College.
He explained that the recruiting process “worked both ways,” as he visited the school and the Knights’ coaching staff also reached out to him. He also played in another league with some of the current SAU players, which got him in contact with Hernandez.
By choosing to stay close to home, Alcocer will play on an athletic scholarship, as well receive academic scholarships.
“I was really happy when I signed because I wanted to go there,” Alcocer explained. “When they offered the scholarship, I was excited. I wanted to play soccer, but I also want to be a teacher, and they offer that program as well. So I knew it was the right choice.
“The soccer team is full of people from outside the country like Brazil and Spain,” he added. “That’s cool because soccer is different in their eyes, and I’ll get to learn about their culture. And the coaches are nice, too.”
During his time at Richmond, Alcocer was an integral part of the program’s success. He scored 53 goals, and added nine assists, and made the All-Conference team as a freshman, sophomore and senior.
In 2016, his sophomore campaign, Alcocer led the Raiders in goals with 22 scores, and he was also the second-leading scorer in the then Southeastern Conference, one goal behind Hoke County’s Darwyn Soto-Maldonado.
Following that season, which Richmond won the conference title with a 15-3-1 record, he was named the SEC’s “Conference Player of the Year.” As a junior, Alcocer netted 14 goals (the second highest of his career), before wrapping up with nine goals this past fall.
“For him to be able to go off to play in college is a big step,” Larsen said of Alcocer. “Especially since it’s so close to home, he can still make the journey back and forth and play out his dreams of playing college soccer.
“He was on varsity for four years, so his experience and knowledge of the game will be missed,” he added. “It’s wonderful to see him go to the next level and play.”
With hopes of fighting for a starting spot when he reports to campus later this summer, Alcocer will be working out as a forward and a midfielder. His first two seasons with Richmond were spent up front as a striker, before he settled into his role as a midfielder during his final two campaigns.
“Playing at Richmond has prepared me a lot,” Alcocer commented. “I played varsity for four years, and playing against high competition helped me mature and develop my skills to play more physical and technical.
“I hope to accomplish a lot at St. Andrews,” he concluded. “It’s going to be more physical, and it’s going to be hard. I hope to play the best I can and catch the coaches’ attention.”
With his signing, Alcocer joined fellow senior Nolan Allen (Piedmont International University) as the second Raider soccer player in the class of 2019 to continue his career. On the ladies’ side are Tatum Hubbard (Methodist University) and Jayana Nicholson (Cape Fear).
