What the heck is a Torero?
Better ask Snohomish High School senior Brandon Kelley. He plans to become one.
Kelley, The Herald’s 2006 co-All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year, verbally accepted a scholarship offer to play soccer for the University of San Diego. The Toreros, 7-1-0 this season, are ranked No. 10 in the country in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division-I poll.
Kelley, who scored 27 goals and tallied nine assists last spring to help Snohomish win the Class 4A state championship, made an official recruiting visit to San Diego two weekends ago. He needed little time to decide between San Diego and Washington, the two main schools he considered. Kelley committed to the Toreros on Sept. 17.
By the way: According to the school’s Web site, Torero “comes from the Spanish term toro, the bull, and from the word torear, to fight bulls. … (It’s)a general term describing a bullfighter and signifies courage, honor and fidelity.”
Sounds like something Kelley can handle.
Kelley, who watched San Diego blank Long Island 3-0 on Sept. 15 during his two-day stay, said he was impressed by “just the whole feel of it and the experience. The team is gonna be real good the next four years (and) they already have three (players from Washington on the roster).” The Washington natives are all freshmen: defender Tim Grey (Port Orchard), forward Chase Tangney (Gig Harbor) and midfielder Ciaran O’Brien (Tacoma).
O’Brien of Decatur High was Gatorade’s 2005-06 Washington Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Kelley scored three goals and had an assist when Snohomish beat O’Brien and Decatur May 19 in the 4A quarterfinals.
Kelley hopes to achieve greatness at San Diego, where he expects to immediately compete for a starting spot. The team’s starting forwards both graduate after this season, he said. “I’m hoping to make the national tournament, of course. That’s always a big thing,” said Kelley.
Kelley said playing for Emerald City Football Club of Seattle helped him boost his skills significantly. Competing for Snohomish, a consistent prep power, didn’t hurt either.
“The coaching and the players around you (at Snohomish) keeps you on top of things,” he said.
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