« Men’s Soccer 2019

Anders Engebretsen

School
Saint Mary's College
Position
Forward
Major
Economics

Classroom

Anders Engebretsen has been a standout in the classroom and currently owns a 3.76 GPA while studying economics. He was named to the conference’s all-academic team as a junior, named an all-academic honorable mention as a sophomore, and was recently listed to the conference’s commissioner’s honor roll over the summer, receiving the highest recognition possible (Gold Honors).

Character

Engebretsen has an outstanding demeanor, and Head Coach Adam Cooper only has positives to say about the athlete’s character. Despite his aggressive on-field play, Engebretsen is fairly reserved and soft-spoken. He is seen as a leader by his peers but prefers to see others in the limelight rather than himself. He hails from Oslo, Norway, but has had no problem making friends with his teammates and assimilating to the American way of life.

Community

Engebretsen has been active in serving while at Saint Mary’s. For one of his classes, he traveled to the Dominican Republic and helped orphans learn the game of soccer. Last season, he played a big part in welcoming Quentin “Squishy” Rios to the team. Squishy is an 8-year-old who joined the team through an organization called Team Impact, which pairs children fighting chronic and severe illnesses with college teams to help them learn lessons outside of the classroom and be a part of a team. Squishy overcame 87-straight weeks of chemotherapy, and Engebretsen is one of the players who hangs out with and makes Squishy feel special during his visits.

Competition

Engebretsen was one of the top threats on the entire West Coast last season, as his 24 points (nine goals and six assists) ranked tied for second in the West Coast Conference. He paired with teammate Jake Rudel, who led the WCC in scoring, to form the nation’s most formidable offense as the Gaels led the country in goals per game. Engebretsen led the WCC in shots per game at 3.80, which also placed him at 14th in the nation and tied for first in the WCC in assists. During the Gaels’ second round NCAA Tournament win over Oregon State, he scored the game-winning goal with a beautiful curling strike to the upper right corner. For his performance, Engebretsen was selected to the WCC First Team as well as the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team.