Prentice detour includes scoring record

Breaking a school scoring mark was never something to which Andy Prentice aspired.

That's because Prentice didn't intend to play college soccer at all.

"To be honest, my college searching process was short," Prentice said. "I didn't want to play college soccer, and I never (wanted to play collegiately) all through high school, so I didn't advertise myself or try to even look for a college team. I had decided that I was going to go to Stevens Point, where I had already committed myself and even already had a roommate."

UWSP doesn't even have a soccer team, so Prentice was miles away from 80 career points and 33 goals - both records for the 18-year-old soccer program at Carroll University.

"A few months before school started, one of my friends (Kyle Jacobson) asked me to just go to an orientation with him at Carroll," Prentice said. "So we both went and took the orientation. I met some of the kids on the team as well as coach (Rick) Mobley, and from that point on I decided, what the heck, I'll give soccer a try."

It turned out to be more than just a "what the heck" sort of maneuver for Carroll, even if it took a while to become apparent as such.

With his goal against Millikin on Sept. 6, the senior took possession of school marks in both goals and points previously held by Joe Snyder (76 points, 32 goals) from 2000-20002.

"Andy has developed into one of the best strikers in the history of the Midwest Conference," said Mobley in his 11th year at the helm. "He has always had a great touch on the ball, but as his body has developed, he has added strength and speed that make him a tough matchup for opponents."

His journey in Waukesha began unceremoniously, though he accumulated five goals and one assist during his freshman season in 2006.

"I only played about 5 to 10 minutes a game for most of the season," Prentice said. "It was a big change going from always being a starter in high school (at Appleton West) and all of my summer leagues to being the guy that just gave the starters a breather, but I didn't let it discourage me. We were a team, and I was there to do whatever the team needed me for.

"As the season went on, there were some injuries which led to me getting a few more minutes on the field. Game after game, I started to fit in with the starting crew a little more and more. I ended up being the second-leading scoring on the team that season and ended as a starter. The experience I gained and the hard-work mentality that I realized I needed for college soccer definitely prepared me for what was to come."

Prentice scored 10 goals and dished out five assists in 2007, then followed with a 15-goal, five-assist season last year. He has four goals and three assists this season for a career total of 34 goals and 82 points.

"I think one of the best traits of a goal scorer is being able to anticipate, not react," Prentice said. "There have been so many times where I have just tried to predict where the ball was going to be, and I ended up being right. It's that extra half a second you have on a defender that allows you to get past them, or to play a good ball or get the shot off. I think what makes me unique is my body size. I'm 6-4, which means I'm usually always one of - if not the - tallest on the field, which has helped me greatly. My long legs have saved me so many times because I have that extra reach on my shorter opponents."

Once a freshman who wasn't sure college soccer was even right for him, Prentice now has a chance to set the bar awfully high for anyone who follows him to Carroll.

"Breaking the record as the leading goal scorer sounds like an individual accomplishment, but it is far from it. I would not have had any success without the teammates I took the field with. They were the reason I was able to get the ball in the back of the net, and I owe everything to them."

Record book

Andy Prentice is the new career points-scorer in Carroll University soccer history.

Active players in bold (as of Sept. 29)