COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Grady Monette has never been afraid of big expectations.

He relished them as an All-State forward at Andover High School and as a standout in the club soccer ranks.

And he's doing the same at Saint John's where the star freshman recruit is already making a huge impact at the collegiate level.

"I love having the bar set high around me," Monette said. "That means you have something to live up to, and when you're able to do that, it's a great feeling."

Monette - who led Andover to the Class 3A state semifinals as a high school junior - is doing just that in Collegeville. He has three goals and three assists in his first five college matchups as unbeaten SJU has commenced the season with five-straight shutouts.

He had two goals in a 7-0 win at Minnesota-Morris last Friday (Sept. 4) and another in a 5-0 victory at Crown Saturday (Sept. 5) - performances that helped earn him MIAC men's soccer offensive player of the week honors.

"From a soccer perspective, he makes a lot of things tick for us," said SJU head coach Tudor Flintham '06, whose team (5-0) next travels to Wisconsin-Superior for a non-conference matchup at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday (Sept. 12).

"But from a recruiting standpoint, having a guy like Grady commit is no small thing either. His accomplishments are well-known in the soccer community in this state. So when he decides to play at Saint John's, it helps guys like (fellow highly regarded freshmen recruits) Ethan Brown and Billy Cornett decide they want to do the same. Great players want to play with other great players."

Monette did draw a lot of recruiting interest. But he said he was sold on SJU pretty much from the start.

"Once Saint John's came into the picture, that was always going to be my destination," he said. "I really loved the coaching staff and what they're building here. I knew the talent level of the other guys they were looking at bringing in and I loved the campus and the size of the school.

"It just felt like a perfect fit for me."

Monette was also a talented high school golfer. But it is soccer, a sport he began playing at age six, that has always been his true love.

"I just had a passion for it right away and that's never stopped," he said. "I never get bored playing. There's always something new for me to discover, or a new goal to reach."

Monette is the youngest of Tom and Heather Monette's two children. Tom sells medical devices and Heather works for a drug testing company. Older brother Riley is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota.

"They've always been my No. 1 fans," he said. "They're there for me whenever I need them.

"My parents have been to all five of the games I've played (at Saint John's) so far."

A global business leadership major, Monette would like to one day follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in sales. That's still a long way off though. 

For now, he is focused on getting his college soccer career off to the strongest start possible.

"He can be a future All-American if he continues to stay humble and work hard," Flintham said. "But for as much talent as he has, one of the coolest things about Grady is that you never have to tell him to pick stuff up, collect balls or carry the water. You never have to worry about him being distracted or juggling during team huddles. He's humble, he has an excellent work ethic and he's always focused on the task at hand.

"He's a great player and a great person. We're really excited about all he has the potential to accomplish."

"Coming into this season, my goal was just to try and earn my spot on this team," Monette added. "To lead by example and fulfill the expectations the coaches have of me. That's still what I'm focused on now."