Greg Sasser Thrives in Environment He Loves

Senior forward Greg Sasser knew he wanted to play soccer since he was a little kid. "It was the first sport I started playing at age 5." Sasser attended Jesuit High School in Tampa, so he knew playing for the University of Tampa was a goal he wanted to achieve after graduating high school.

"I chose to play at UT for a variety of reasons. For one, I am from Tampa and I love it here, the weather is amazing," said Sasser "Also, UT soccer is one of the best Division II programs in the nation and I wanted to play for a team that was committed to winning."

Choosing UT was a no brainer for Sasser. In three seasons with the Spartans so far, Sasser has appeared in 51 games, docking over 1200 minutes on the field. Sasser has scored nine goals, added eight assists, four goals coming as game winners.

Sasser added goals against local foes, St. Leo and Florida Southern on the road last season. But he said his favorite field to play on is Pepin Stadium, the home of the Spartans. "I love playing on our field, our fans make it a great atmosphere and the location of it being in between all of the dorms makes it really unique."

He has passions for other sports like football, basketball and wakeboarding, but says he loves the passion for soccer, especially as a striker. "Striker, no doubt about is my favorite position." "The feeling you get after scoring a goal for your teammates is unmatched."

His favorite memory at any level came in his freshman year at UT. The Spartans made it to the national final four in Division II. Sasser says he enjoyed that season the best because it was his best "statiscal season."

"Out of the three seasons I have had here, not including this past season, we had our most successful season in going all the way to the national final four, and there were so many great memories on all of the roadtrips we took getting there. Playing in front of the thousands of fans that were at the national semifinals game was an incredible experience."

The Spartans finished last season, 14-7-1. They fell to Rollins in the first round in the South Region bracket. Sasser credits head coach Adrian Bush for consistently keeping the team motivated.

Sasser likes coach Bush's "enthusiasm for the game." "He [Bush] used to play on the same field we do now, and so he has been through everything we have, so he really knows how we are feeling and he knows how to fire us up for a game and make sure we are prepared to play our opponents."

Sasser believes this season is too early to be called over, "we have gotten off to a bad start and it has put us into a hole, so I am excited to see if we can break out of our slump and turn things around."

With Sasser's passion for the game of soccer, the team is in better hands. His favorite part of being on the team is "the intensity that comes with being in a soccer match. Stepping on that field and laying it all out on the line in front of all the fans really gives me a rush of adrenaline that nothing else does."

Sasser wants to finish up his final season at UT strong, he doesn't believe he will be playing soccer professionally after graduation. "In five years I would love to picture myself relaxing on a beach, already retired and loving life. But seriously, I'll probably be working here in Tampa, I am a finance major so most likely I'd be working for a bank or something of that sort."

Written by Jake Perper