Will Nicholas netted the game-winning goal of the Adidas Olympic Development Program’s National Championship game in March with 18 seconds left on the clock.
Although his clutch shot earned him the Golden Boot as the outstanding player of the championship, he wasn’t acting alone. In what could be a glimpse of the future, Dave Brown, Nicholas’ teammate on the Eastern Pennsylvania State Cup team, assisted on the play.
In the fall, the two Pennsylvania natives will team up against the Big Ten as members of the Northwestern men’s soccer team.
The ODP championship game was the first time Nicholas had stepped on the field since injuring his knee last April. It was also the first time the pair had played together with the knowledge that they would be teammates at NU.
Brown was one of the first recruits to sign with the Wildcats, but Nicholas waited while undergoing five and a half months of rehab to recover from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“He wasn’t completely off the radar screen, but had he not been injured, a lot more teams would have had him for visits,” NU coach Tim Lenahan said.
Nicholas chose NU over Richmond, Rutgers and East Coast powerhouse Wake Forest, while Brown was recruited by St. John’s and Duke.
But the Pennsylvania connection doesn’t stop with Nicholas and Brown. Goalkeeper Justin Pines played with Brown at Strath Haven High School in Media, Pa., and also signed with NU for the fall. The goalie played for the same soccer club as Nicholas, though Pines plays on the under-17 team because of his late birthday.
Brown and Pines said Nicholas is usually calm and laid back, but has a different personality on the field.
“In practice Will has taken me out,” Brown said. “He’s an animal on the field. I call him a psycho because he’s so nice off the field, but he really gets your attention on the field.”
Nicholas, a defender, and Pines both tower over the midfielder Brown, who stands a mere 5-foot-4. But his size has not prevented him from earning national recognition.
He participated in the Adidas Elite Soccer Program as one of the nation’s top 150 players and was ranked in the top 30 as an all-star.
“He’s very diminutive, a tiny little kid, but he’s a tornado of energy,” Nicholas said. “We’ll be running for the ball, and I’m faster, but he’s cutting under my hip. You wouldn’t think the little guy could do that much.”
While watching him during the recruiting process, Lenahan saw Brown as a menace for other teams to defend because of his speed and dribbling skills.
“He’s very explosive on the ball and very quick, just like Muggsy Bogues or Spud Webb,” Lenahan said. “He wreaks a little havoc when he’s out there.”
Brown won’t be the only new offensive threat on NU’s roster next season. The latest weapon could come from the most unlikely of positions — goalkeeper.
While between the posts, Pines said he notched between 15 and 20 assists in his high school career, and added that he even scored a goal from the box when he was 12.
But on top of his big kick, Pines’ athleticism and prowess in the goal allowed him to record 32 shutouts at Strath Haven from 2000 through 2002.
Mike Barr, the soccer coach at Strath Haven, said Pines was an offensive weapon in the backfield. The 6-foot-1 keeper chose NU over Harvard and Brown.
“Justin could be one of the top Division I keepers,” Barr said. “I’ve had a lot of players that went on to Virginia, South Carolina, Penn State and Harvard, but he’s the most technical player I’ve ever coached. He’s developed his game like it’s a craft.”
The trio doesn’t spend much time together now, but all three are looking forward to being the Pennsylvania contingent on next year’s squad.
“I look at them now and say, ‘I see you every other weekend and I’m going to be seeing you every single day next year,'” Nicholas said.
