COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Foster Conlin comes from a family of soccer players.

He started playing the game himself before he began kindergarten, and it quickly became his first love.

But after a stellar career at Mounds View High School, and multiple seasons of high-level league play, he found himself at a crossroads and considered giving up the game.

"I thought maybe I was going to stop after high school and go to college out in North Carolina - where my parents were moving after I graduated," he recalled. "That was the original plan."

Upon further reflection, though, Conlin realized he wasn't yet ready to walk away - a decision that reopened his path to Saint John's.

"They'd been recruiting me and I'd heard such good things from everyone who'd gone to school here," said Conlin, now a senior defender for the Johnnies. "The more I looked, the more I realized there were so many aspects that fit with what I was looking for. I'm an accounting and finance major and that department is really strong. There's just a strong sense of community overall. 

"I knew this was a place that would offer me a great balance between soccer and school."

Conlin has gone on to thrive in both over the course of his time in Collegeville. 

The four-year starter led all SJU field players with 1,146 minutes played last season, and he's continued to perform at a high level this fall. In fact, Conlin was just named MIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week after logging 159 minutes on the back line as the Johnnies recorded shutouts of Wisconsin-Stout last Wednesday (Oct. 22) and Concordia this past Saturday (Oct. 25). 

In those two games, the opposition mustered just 10 shots total and only six on goal.

But Conlin has also helped out on the offensive end, recording three goals and four assists - including his team's first goal in a big 5-2 win over Augsburg (then ranked No. 3 in the nation in NCAA Division III) on Sept. 30.

"That was such a big win for us," he said. "It was a chance to put our ability on full display and we did that. We came together as a team and executed what we planned to do. It felt like a huge step in the right direction."

Off the field, Conlin maintains a GPA of 3.73 and is a two-time Academic All-MIAC and one-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection. He'll graduate this coming May, then plans to pursue a career in the financial field.

"I've always loved numbers, even as a kid," he said. "I'm someone who really enjoys finding solutions to problems, and math always made sense to me. Then, in high school, I started to get interested in the markets. So finance felt like a great fit."

As an established veteran on a team led by a new head coach – and with a roster that includes 20 freshmen and seven sophomores - Conlin has also played a crucial leadership role this fall.

"Foster is one of the most talented players I've ever coached," said head coach Tudor Flintham '06, whose team is now 4-4-1 in MIAC play, 11-4-3 overall and has already clinched a berth in the conference playoffs heading into its regular-season finale against Hamline at 1 p.m. Saturday in St. Paul. 

"He's as good as any (center back) I've worked with, and I've had some of the best in the country on my teams. He's competitive in everything he does which has been vital for this young team learning how to win and compete for championships. There's no shot we are where we are without Foster pushing everyone around him on a daily basis. He has one speed and doesn't acccept anything other than the set standard. If he doesn't see that from you, you'll be hearing from him directly."

"That's something I've tried to do every year I've been here, but being a senior, it's definitely been more of a focus," Conlin added. "I see the talent we have in our freshmen class, and I know they have the capability to do great things now. So that's been a big part of it - getting those guys to trust in their own abilities to perform.

"Doing that this season will only help them build more confidence throughout their four years here."

Conlin's father also played soccer at Mounds View, and his older sister Elle played at Division I Boston University. 

"Soccer was always huge in our house, but my dad never pushed it on me," Conlin said. "He let me come to my own decision. I played every sport when I was younger. I just found I enjoyed soccer more, and that's why I stuck with it."

Including through four seasons at Saint John's.

"Coming here, and continuing to play soccer, was definitely the right decision," Conlin said.  "Not only have I been able to keep playing a sport I love, but I've made lifelong friends and really valuable connections with coaches and professors.

"I can't imagine not being here now."