Hamilton Southeastern High School’s Boys Soccer program has been turning heads the past two years, winning their first sectional championship in nearly 20 years in 2015, only to repeat and win again in 2016. Many factors lead to these two astounding seasons for the guys, but at the heart of this team is captain and senior Eli Quivey.
“[As team captain], I try to keep it positive on the field because a lot can go wrong in an 80-minute soccer game,” Eli said. “Before the game, I bring all the guys together, and I always have a new saying or new speech I give to them. At halftime, if players are down because we aren’t playing well, I go to them and tell them that it’s okay. A big thing for us is to just keep a smile on our faces, because it’s important to have fun while you play.”
A senior at HSE, Eli possesses an abundant toolbelt when it comes to soccer. His freshman year, he played for the U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy, which allowed him to be exposed to college coaches and college programs early. After living what sounds like a dream, Eli decided to play for HSE’s team his sophomore year instead of going back to the Academy.
“When I was in eighth grade, I was playing really well, and it was a new thing for the U14’s to play for the Developmental Academy. My parents and I decided to play there because it was a better chance for me to get recruited early for college,” Eli said. “Then my sophomore year, I had the chance to go back and play [for the Academy], and though it was an honor to be invited back, I decided by myself that I wanted to prove that you don’t have to play for that team to go play in college.”
His first year as a Royal, Eli was already making significant impacts. He led the team in goals and assists and made first team All-Conference, first team All-District and Honorable Mention All-State. After being heavily recruited by many colleges, Eli verbally committed to play Division I soccer and study Sports Marketing and Management at IUPUI his junior year, making him the second ever male soccer player from HSE to go play D-I. This in itself was a huge accomplishment already, but the fact that Eli’s dad, Raymond, played on the first ever boys soccer team at IUPUI made the opportunity even more sweet.
“I chose IUPUI not just because my dad went there, but because I love the campus. I love the classroom sizes, and the sports marketing and management majors there are great,” Eli said. “It’s pretty surreal [to be playing at IUPUI]. I remember my first time going to an alumni game was when I was 9 and seeing my dad down there with all of his friends. When I was getting recruited, he said, “I don’t want you to go there because I went there. I want you to go there because you like the campus, you like that it’s close to home and they have your major.”
