Leesburg, Va. — After four years of hard work with Tuscarora High School’s varsity soccer team, Andrew Retmier has committed to Mary Baldwin University where he will continue his academic and soccer career starting in the 2020-2021 school year.
“The campus is beautiful and the coaching staff is amazing,” the 5-foot-9 Retmier said. “After visiting the campus and meeting the coaches and my future teammates, I believe it is the right fit for me academically and athletically. It’s also close enough to come home when I want but far enough away to have a true college experience.”
For the first time in the school’s 175-year history, Mary Baldwin University began admitting male undergraduates in the fall of 2017. Just two years later, the Division III Fighting Squirrels kicked off their inaugural varsity men’s soccer season, a season which they finished fourth in the USA South Athletic Conference with a conference record of 5-8 and overall record of 8-11.
“Last year was their first year as a DIII men’s soccer program, and I believe my skillset fits in well with Coach [Mike] Bair’s style of play,” Retmier said. “I’m also really excited in the direction that the men’s soccer program is going in.”
Retmier was equally excited about the 2020 season at Tuscarora. During his freshman year in 2017, the Huskies finished 10-5-7 and made a run at the state championship. Then in 2018, Tuscarora finished 9-7-1, then improved to 10-5-5 in the 2019 season. Retmier and the rest of the Huskies varsity soccer team had high goals for the 2020 season before it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
“It’s been an amazing four years on the varsity team. My freshman year we made it all the way to the state semifinals,” Retmier said. “I was hoping to lead them there again this year before the season was cancelled.”
Originally from San Diego, California, Retmier has loved soccer ever since he was a little boy. His club team, Barca Academy Northern Virginia, has provided him with many opportunities, only increasing his love for the sport.
“I picked it up at a young age and stuck with it because it’s fun and challenges me as a competitor. Soccer is my passion. I’m always kicking a ball around in the backyard or setting up pickup games with my friends,” Retmier said. “I’ve also been very fortunate to have traveled the world and experience playing in some amazing places: an indoor tournament in Grand Central Station, NY; training at Ciudad Deportiva Atlético de Madrid; and matches against teams from France, Catalonia, and Spain in the 2019 Mediterranean International Cup in Costa Brava, Spain.”
