campuscharacter Alex Elias '08 Midd Soccer's 'Al' American

Author: Tess Russell

Men's Soccer Coach David Saward often poses this question to his players: If aliens came down to our planet and watched us play, would they consider this a beautiful game?
The mere terrestrials inhabiting Middlebury's campus, particularly those of us who have witnessed the team's performance over the past few weeks, would have to venture a yes. After finishing the season with a school-record 14 wins and claiming their second NESCAC Championship, the soccer squad - led by co-captains Alex Elias '08 and Andrew Germansky '08 - shut out Wheaton College in a 5-0 romp last Saturday to advance to the sectionals of the NCAA Tournament.
Elias, this week's Campus Character, has been a key contributor to the team since his freshman year. The Manchester, V.T. native, who used to come watch games at Middlebury as a youngster, also played hockey and tennis in high school, but soccer was always his strong suit. This became even clearer when he was named an All-American in the sport (or an "Al-American," as high school teammate Jamie Hand '08 dubbed him) during his senior year.
The nickname is particularly fitting given that, just last week, Elias again received national recognition, this time as an Academic All-American, from the College Sports Information Directors Association. An Economics major, he hopes to teach for a few years (either through a program like Teach for America or at a private school) before eventually pursuing graduate work.
Elias did take a much-deserved break from the books last spring when he spent a semester abroad at the University of Otago in New Zealand, where he insists he did very little studying and a whole lot of traveling. He and David LaRocca '08 bummed around Australia on mopeds and even ventured to Fiji, warnings from their mothers about typhoid fever notwithstanding.
Over the summer, he braved another long flight to visit England on a preseason trip, where the team had plenty of opportunities to watch football matches and just generally bond. Elias attributed their winning season to this exceptional team dynamic.
"I'd say our success has as much to do with our team chemistry as with the talent that we have," Elias said.
Given his commitment to the soccer team, you might be surprised to learn that the playing field is not his only stage.
"Al can break it down real smoothly on the dance floor," Corey Moffat '09 said. "He is like a cross between Jackie Chan and Michael Jackson."
Furthermore, as captain, he often leads his teammates in a rousing rendition of the "We Are Unbeatable" shower song, chanted loudly enough for all of the other teams in the locker room to hear. (Since those three words are the only lyrics, this print format doesn't really do the song justice, but I assure you, it is quite inspirational.)
The tight-knit squad is considering a celebratory trip to Canada or New York City when the season is over, but for right now, they're focused on beating rival Williams for the third time this coming Saturday and, ultimately, on gaining a bid to the Final Four in Florida.
"In the tournament, our goal has just been to win every week so we can get to play together for a few more days," Elias said.
But they're not just playing for themselves at this point. They have the whole Middlebury community behind them, not to mention that other surprising contingent of fans.
"Hopefully this year," Elias said, "we'll play well enough to really impress the aliens."