Senior Owain Hoskins, originally from Southampton, England, was scouted by former Assistant Coach Matt Sullivan in London to come to St. Edward’s. Hoskins had never heard of Austin, Texas, but was told that it’s a great city and that you can have a lot of fun here. He came to the U.S. solely by trusting Coach Sullivan since Sullivan seemed to care a lot and would take care of him.

Hoskins started playing soccer, or football as it is known in the UK, when he was “really, really young. About when I was 4 years old,” Hoskins said.

Growing up, Hoskins played for a local team managed by his dad, who is sports-oriented and played rugby for Wales. Later on, Hoskins played for Southampton Academy up until he was about 16 years old and rightfully so: his favorite professional team is Southampton F.C.

When asked what he feels he is best at in soccer, Hoskins answered “heading the ball.” He is 6’5 and can get to the ball with ease. He has scored a fair amount of goals that way.

Hoskins has two favorite memories from his time playing for St. Edward’s. One was when he scored his first goal for St. Edward’s.

“It was an overtime winner against Roger State. We were all very tired and I managed to volley it home from close range. For me after sitting out my freshman year due to transfer rules, that felt like a long time coming. The atmosphere was great on the bus for the 7 hours back to Austin.”

His second was at the Heartland Conference Tournament in Wichita Falls on Nov. 4 against Midwestern State University.

“It was the best feeling I’ve had in a soccer field. My dad was at the game visiting from the UK. It had been an emotional time those weeks leading up to it so it was a sense of relief that it went in and did not have to go overtime and potentially [have] penalty kicks too.”

Hoskins said he is sad to leave St. Edward’s but appreciates how friendly he can be with his teammates. “I’m lucky enough to play for a team where we all care for each other, not just on the field but off the field more importantly… we try to stay close and hopefully that helps our relationship on the pitch,” Hoskins said.

Hoskins feels that his time at St. Edward’s has allowed him to mature in soccer and in life.

“My outlook was slightly different coming into St. Edward’s. The coaches do a good job of keeping everyone grounded, which helps in becoming a better all-around person, too.”

Regarding his next step after college, Hoskins plans to take a year or two off after graduating to pursue a professional career in soccer. If that doesn’t work out, he is considering going into coaching or using his Communication degree to do marketing.

“I have a few ideas. Carry on playing for sure. Probably in the U.S. professionally is my #1 goal.”