Brian Fekete Shines for Portland Phoenix in Summer PDL League

There is no doubt of the intentions of Brian Fekete, a junior defender for the University of Tampa men's soccer team, from Plant City, Fla. He wants to win a national title.

This past summer Fekete, along with two other players from the UT men's soccer team, Ryan Griffin and Dominick Cutrofello drove up to Maine to play in one of the most elite summer leagues in the nation; the 2011 Player Development League.

The three Spartan soccer players played for the Portland Phoenix, where they played against top-notch competition all summer to prepare themselves for the upcoming 2011 soccer season for Tampa. Fekete racked up 1,213 minutes as Portland's left fullback where he had two goals and one assist.

Fekete was concerned with getting the best training possible this summer so that when his season kicked off for Tampa he would be ready. When asked why he chose to go all the way up to Maine to play instead of staying in Florida he replied "I wanted to play against new competition and see what other regions of soccer were like".

Fekete and the other players from University of Tampa grew close with the whole team. He says they became a close knit group and shared many bonds this summer. Before games they would get rowdy and sing tunes like "Andrew Rigby" and "Micky Donald". He continues to stay in touch with the other players from the Portland Phoenix.

Fekete and the other two players from Tampa were very pleased with the weather up in Maine. They enjoyed playing soccer in the cool, non-humid air up north. He wishes the weather in Florida was like the summers in Maine. "It was very nice being able to play a 90 minute game without cramping up and dehydrating so quickly".

Fekete felt that playing up in Maine this summer was a success. He thought it did all the simple things like keeping himself in shape, keeping his touch on the ball but also it made him a lot smarter as a player.

He believes that his hard work and training this summer will pay off this Fall, as he will help lead the Spartans to a Sunshine State Conference title and also the dreams of a national title are becoming more of a reality.

Although he's not a team captain, Fekete is an unquestioned leader on the Spartans. Coming off a 14-7-1 season, Tampa looks to have another NCAA tournament run in 2011 behind the leadership of Fekete. UT's conference opener is at rival Rollins on September 20 at 7 p.m.

Written by Alexa DellaRocco