In-depth with our sports seniors

Born in Margarita, Venezuela, where baseball is religion, Edwin Escobar was destined to play baseball. Or was he?

"My dad was a huge soccer player and he loved the game and it was inevitable for me to not to play," said Escobar.

In Venezuela, everyone played baseball and baseball was everything. Escobar tried to the play the game that everyone loved, but considered himself, "not very good."

"In Venezuela baseball was all you played and either you were good at it or you had no friends. I wasn't the best, but I had some friends," said Escobar.

Escobar still remembers why he started playing soccer. He was watching the 1994 World Cup and was amazed by the game he saw. It brought such joy to him that he decided soccer was the sport for him.

"I began playing soccer at a very young age after watching the 1994 world cup," Escobar said. During the 1994 world cup final I was at an amusement park during the game. At the park one guy decided to bring a TV and watch the game. It was amazing that no one was on the rides and instead everyone was sitting in front of this little TV watching Brazil win its fourth world cup against Italy. When the game was over, people were crying of happiness and at that moment, I realized that playing soccer was what I wanted to do."

Escobar still looks back at when he started playing soccer. He would join in with his father and his friends in a dry, sandy field behind their house in Venezuela and he would play keeper. In the end though, being keeper was not the position for Escobar.

Escobar moved to the United States at the age of ten and has lived in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. He attended Mt. Everett Regional High School in Sheffield, MA where he played three varsity sports.

"There I played varsity baseball, basketball, and soccer all four years," said Escobar. "I was fortunate to have that opportunity. I have never been good at basketball player and I don't think a man can walk with four balls, so I just played baseball and basketball for fun. Soccer is my sport and in high school we were a really good team, we had a lot of good players and we managed to put up some crazy numbers every season, so I had a lot of fun there. Soccer I would have to say was what I excelled at."

After High School, Escobar decided to attend MCLA, but not before talking to head Coach Adam Hildabrand.

"Coach Hildabrand was the reason I came here, I met him during a summer league and he said to me "you should lose some weight get in shape and try out for the team" and I did," said Escobar. "Thanks coach."

Escobar's first start here at MCLA was against Castleton, but they lost the game, but he feels like they won the battle.

Escobar's first win came in his first season here at MCLA and the winning goal was scored by his own blood.

"My first win on the team our first game my firs season against Salve Regina," said Escobar. "My brother (Raul Escobar) scored the winning goal. I've never been so happy for him, so that was pretty cool."

Escobar has one superstition and that is he must wear and be number twelve on the soccer field. He wears number twelve as a tribute to a childhood memory.

His final game here was one to remember. It was on the newly appointed Shewcraft field and it was a massacre.

"The final game here at MCLA felt good since we had just killed Fitchburg State," said Escobar, "but my happiness was shadowed by the fact that I was never again going to be wearing the jersey. But I will forever remember that I once came through here and represented MCLA with a group of people that were as close to me as anyone can be."

Escobar has learned a lot here at MCLA and looks back at his time here well spent. He believes you must have the will power and effort to play the game of soccer and without it, you will not succeed.

"I learned that life is not all about winning, but waking up with the attitude to do so," Escobar said.

Escobar would love to continued playing soccer, but says he loves Twinkies to much. Instead, he plans on teaching at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA.

With advice he would like to give before he leaves, he leaves this.

"My advice to the an incoming freshman would be to stay away from the mound," Escobar said laughing. "No but for real, every freshman should take every game as if it was there last and help the seniors have a great memory of their last season so that they will never forget about it."