When the fans sitting in the bleachers at Reeves Field yell out "Go Sal!" or "Come on No. 10," they can only be talking about one person. He is none other than senior captain Sal Caccavale, a fixture on the AU men's soccer team for the last four seasons and a main reason why the Eagles have been successful throughout his career.
During the 2006 season, Caccavale has made his presence known on the field. During the season-opening D.C. College Cup, he scored the cup-winning goal with two minutes remaining in the Eagles 2-1 win against Georgetown. This tally earned him MVP honors for the tournament as well as his first PL Offensive Player of the Week award of the year.
Providing dramatic moments is nothing new for Caccavale. In 2004, he also clinched the D.C. College Cup for the Eagles when he scored on a direct kick five minutes into overtime to give the Eagles the title. However, he remembers more fondly another goal of his later that season.
"I would have to say my most favorite moment in the last four years has to be definitely scoring in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Virginia. At the time, it put us up 1-0. Unfortunately we lost 2-1 but that goal really sticks out in my mind," Caccavale said.
With so many proud memories from his experience on the national stage, Caccavale indicated that he would love to get back to the tournament again this season. As this is his final campaign in an AU uniform, he has set a number of goals, both for himself personally and for his team.
"Individually, I would want to end up as the PL Offensive Player of the Year for starters. I was named to the All-South Atlantic region team last year, so this season I would like to build upon that and possibly be an All-American. As a team, it would be great to win another PL championship and qualify again for the NCAA tournament."
While setting such high and lofty goals may seem out of reach for some players, one needs to look back on his entire career to realize why he sets the bar so high for himself.
As a high school player, he was one of the best players in his home state of New York, earning all-State honors in his junior and senior year as well as being named a National High School All-American during his junior season. During his four years at West Islip High School, he tallied a remarkable 42 goals and 20 assists.
In recognition of these achievements, he was selected to play for the U-16 U.S. National team that played in competitions overseas in both Italy and France. Through it all, he says that he couldn't have done it without his family.
"I have to credit a lot of my success to my parents, taking me to all my practices when I was younger. They have also been to every AU game in my career, both home and away. This has been very important to me."
Although this will be the last season that Caccavale can show off his skills at Reeves, he definitely does not want this to be the last season that he is involved with soccer.
"After I graduate, I hope I am lucky enough to be invited to the MLS (Major League Soccer) combine and get a chance to play in that league. If not playing, I would love to continue to coach and stay involved.
"I mean, I eat, breathe and sleep soccer. I have to admit, I probably study soccer more than my schoolwork," Caccavale said with a laugh. "How can I not? It is the best and biggest sport in the world"
