Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Camel of the Edition is a new series which seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out for their recent performances.
Marco Cerezo ‘24 has played a prominent role in the unprecedented success of the men’s soccer team over the past four years. Cerezo is a team captain, has appeared in all of the Camels matches so far, and was a member of the 2021 National Championship winning team. A center-back from Málaga, Spain, has served as the Camels defensive leader this season and has even scored a goal himself.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Cerezo to learn more about the unique path in soccer he took prior to Conn, how the team has been able to improve on last season’s record, and what he hopes for the future of the team and college soccer.
Could you please introduce yourself?
Marco Cerezo: My name is Marco Cerezo and I come from Málaga, Spain. I’m a senior here at Conn and a Quantitative Economics Major and Finance Minor. On campus, I work as a Senior Admissions Fellow, at Coffee Closet, and as an accounting tutor. On the Men’s Soccer team, I’m a center-back and captain.
What was your journey in sports prior to Conn like?
MC: My family has always been very sporty, so I really touched on every sport. I used to surf a lot, I played basketball, and I ran track and field for a few years. I didn’t play soccer originally because my dad didn’t like the mentality around soccer at the time in Spain. I started playing soccer later, at 10 or 11, because all my friends played soccer. I soon wanted to play at a higher level, so when I was 12 I got recruited to play for a team that was kind of far from my home. My family moved because I got recruited for that team and I played there for five years. I had a few calls from other teams but there was nothing official, so when I was 17 I moved to France for a year to play at a higher level. After this, I was called for a week to train with Real Sociedad, which is a professional team in Spain, but they didn’t end up keeping me. I played for one more year in Spain. Because I was still a junior in high school, my family and I decided to try to do my senior year in the US. That’s when I found Williston Northampton and where I did my senior year before committing to Conn.
Marco, you have had the unique experience of playing soccer at a high level in Spain. Did you ever really envision yourself coming to the US to play soccer?
MC: Not really; soccer is different in Europe and is more competitive. I was playing at the highest level for my age from age 15. Right now, I have friends who are playing in the first division of Spain, so my goal was to play professionally. The US became an option when I saw the options I had in Spain were playing for not a lot of money. Also, in Spain when you play at [a high] level, you either study or play for a team because it’s hard to combine both. So seeing how in the US you could play while you studied, it really appealed to me.
How did you end up choosing Conn?
MC: I didn’t really choose Conn. Coming from Spain, I didn’t know how the recruiting process worked. You don’t send emails to coaches or networks. Like at my games in Spain, every weekend there were scouts from Real Madrid and Barca. Even though they don’t call you, they’re always there so you know if you’re good they’ll call you. I really faced the reality that it wasn’t like that in America. I had a lot of Division III coaches watching my games and reaching out to me, but I really wanted to play in Division I. I told my coach my decision would be based on how much Division I schools could help me financially because I have four brothers so I couldn’t pay full price. Later, Conn’s coach Ruben Burke made me an offer. I had already committed ED to Gettysburg College, but I realized how good NESCAC schools are and so I changed my commitment.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your position?
MC: My favorite thing [about being a center-back] is that I am the last man so a lot of things rely on me. My least favorite thing is that sometimes I wish I could contribute more in the game like [being able to] dribble more and get higher up the field.
What makes the Men’s Soccer team at Conn so competitive nationally and in the NESCAC? Is there anything the program does differently from other teams you have played on?
MC: I think that the whole team takes everything very seriously. Even though we are DIII, we take a lot of pride in what we do to be competitive. So we try to do everything to be good whether it’s 6 a.m. [practices], stretching, pool sessions, or anything that we think can help the program. I would also say in the recruiting process [Coach] Ruben does a great job bringing in guys who want to play soccer at a high level. We won the national championships two years ago, and I think [this happened] because of the past players who have taken it seriously too.
And what was the national championship experience like?
MC: For me it was weird because it was my first season at Conn [with games] because of COVID. So that was my first experience of NESCAC soccer. I didn’t play a lot which was frustrating for me because I thought I deserved more playing time. Every game I would play for like 30-40 minutes which is not bad, but for me it wasn’t enough. As more of the season went by, I played more because of injuries. I think we had a great group because we had a good mix of players who had talent and technical ability to save the day and also players who were physical, passionate, and loud. I think we were resilient overall because we scored a lot of late goals.
The Conn Men’s Soccer team has already surpassed last season’s record and conference win total. How has the team performed better this season compared to last?
MC: Last year, I think everyone was waiting for us because they knew who we were and how we could play. We didn’t really know how to respond to that. Maybe some players were a little too confident because we were underdogs before and we didn’t have to prove ourselves as much. This year, we’re trying to be more strict, stay healthy, eat well, go to bed earlier, not go out until the first NESCAC win, [and] not go out after ties or losses. We’re really trying to create a culture that is accountable and as professional as possible. I think that the incoming freshman class has also done a good job adapting to that. We were very clear we wanted a good year and last year was not something that could happen again. So from the beginning, everyone knew the sacrifices we wanted to make.
As a senior of the soccer program at Conn how has the team changed over the years and do you have any particular highlights?
MC: Winning the National Championship. We had great team chemistry. We weren’t the best team every time but we would find a way to win. Like in the national championship, we were down but we found a way to win in the last minutes and trusted each other. In terms of memories, I think when Lorenzo Bocchetti ‘21 scored to win the national championship that was very memorable. This year, in the first game, Tufts scored on us and I had my flashbacks of [the failures] last season, because I’m a senior so I need to make this year count. I’m a captain so I feel I have more pressure. When Sam Boehm ‘23 scored [to equalize] I remember being so happy and saying in my head “I love you!”
How would you describe the experience of being a team captain?
MC: I think in soccer, there are captains without armbands. For me at least, being captain only means that I wear the armband in games. But I also think that I have more of a voice and respect from the team. Before, I was relying on others to speak, but now it’s me who has to do it. I’ve always tried to speak to people, be loud, and motivate on the field and we have people who are freshman and sophomores who speak and are loud. But I think being a captain really helps you gain a bigger respect from everyone else because when you speak they know that you have the trust and respect for saying what you are saying.
What do you hope for the future of the team when you all have graduated? Is there anything you would change about college soccer/the team?
MC: I wish college soccer was year round. Maybe having less games every week but having a year round league or playing in the fall and winter and stopping in March. For athletes in college, not being able to compete during the whole year is a bit of a joke. You kill your body for three months and suddenly after three months you don’t have anything to compete for. In terms of the program, I think everyone behind me knows what we fight for and what it means to play here and be successful. So I hope they pass it down because you always want to be proud of the place you’ve been and as long as the team is competitive and one of the best programs in division three I will be proud.
What are your plans going forward following college?
MC: I never thought of myself not playing soccer, so I’m still wondering about this myself. I have wanted to work in finance the last two years but I have wanted to play soccer since I was ten. My dream would be to be able to work a finance job and be able to play for a team after 6 p.m. Realistically, I think I might have to work for a few years and then try to combine it.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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