A dynamic, skillful player on the field and a humble one off it, this man’s journey is just beginning as he and his teammates have their sights set on a championship dream.

Theo Quartey is one of the University’s brightest young stars to step onto the field for the soccer team. Originally from Ghana, Quartey attended the Salisbury School in Connecticut where he had numerous offers but rejected them all for the Wildcats. 

Before coming here, Quartey had offers from Virginia, Harvard, Yale and University of Pennsylvania. He began the recruiting process when he was a sophomore in high school. Thankfully, Quartey had previous connections to the University who began to sway his mind towards becoming a Wildcat. All he really needed, however, was a visit to the campus.

On Monday Sept. 18, Quartey was recognized as a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.

“I was really excited to be honored, but it goes back to what the team is all about,” Quartey said. “Having a bunch of individuals on the team who willing to help make sure everybody is all in. That is what really helped me achieve that.”

A smile grew across his face when asked about receiving the title, but Quartey is a team player and did not hesitate to recognize the fact that it was his teammates who helped him achieve this accolade. The connection between Quartey and the rest of the team is becoming evident throughout the season. In the nine games the team has plaed this season, Quartey has scord three goals and had two assists.

Quartey aimed to come in and make an impact immediately. Transitioning from high school to college soccer, he knew it would be a faster and more intensive pace. However, he was ready for the challenge. He gives credit to his teammates again, as they have instilled a certain confidence in him to go out and compete at a high level during every match.

The expectations do not get any smaller when Quartey references what he sees the team achieving.

“I think this year we have a really good, championship [caliber] team,” he said. “We can go as far as we want. It all depends on taking each game at a time and performing at the higher level each game. That is what our mentality is. We definitely want to go as far as we can in the BIG EAST and NCAA tournaments.”

As of Sunday Oct. 1, The Wildcats had a 5-5 record as they began the gauntlet of BIG EAST play. This is only the first step towards achieving their goal of becoming Big East and hopefully National champions. 

The young freshman is still building a rapport with his teammates but all signs show that the team is on the right path. Quartey knows that his teammates have his back as they build his confidence. He has the utmost certainty in his team that they can achieve these goals, but they will take it one match at a time. 

“As soon as I visited I fell in love with the place, meeting the players, the team and talking to the coaches, I felt like this was the right place for me to grow as a person and as a soccer player,” he said.

Quartey and fellow freshman Yusuf Cueceoglu are the young stars that will continue to push the team toward a championship for years to come.

The Wildcats continue their season Saturday Oct. 7 against Xavier at home.