HC Senior Ueland commits to Notre Dame for soccer

Notre Dame. The name is synonymous with college sports, and many high schoolers dream of playing at a prestigious school. Senior Thomas Ueland is going to live that dream. His varsity play over the past four years has led him to receive dozens of scholarship offers to play for universities across the country, and Notre Dame bit the bullet. Notre Dame University is garnered as legendary among other NCAA schools in the field of Men’s Soccer, and Ueland has accepted their scholarship offer and will play for the Fighting Irish once he finishes his senior year.

Many factors stood out to Ueland when he decided that Notre Dame was the right choice.

“The academic and athletic excellence [were big factors],” Ueland said. “I felt like I had connected with the coaches and players, and the campus is absolutely breathtaking.”

Coach Jason Behler, an assistant to the varsity team, has watched Ueland develop from a freshman stud to a senior superstar. He was very proud of Thomas when he learned of his commitment.

“They’re last year’s national champions, a great academic school, and have a great soccer program,” Behler said emphatically. “I think the best choice Thomas made was choosing a coach that he like the philosophy of- I don’t think it was a rash decision for him. I think he weighed his options and made the best choice for him, and I think a degree from Notre Dame will take him a lot further than anything else on the soccer field.”

Notre Dame just completed a move from the AAC to the Atlantic Coast Conference, a big transition that brings refreshed, more rigorous competition to the field. Ueland seems very excited about the prospect of playing against some of the top teams in the country on a weekly basis.

“[The move] means an intense schedule. You can’t take a game off because of the strength and depth of the conference,” Ueland said. “It will be fun to match up against the best every week and to see where I stand among them.”

Behler praised Ueland in light of the upcoming HC season and wanted to thank him for the work has put in in his years thus far.

“We’re proud to have a player like him come to Henry Clay and play. He’s obviously been great while he’s been here and we wish him luck and hopefully he can get something in return by the end of this season.”