Rotan leads Cavs in points

cabrini athletic department

Cabrini soccer player Joe Rotan earned the honor of being named PAC player of the week on Oct. 1 and then proceeded to be named a member of the D3Kicks.com team of the week the very next day.

The senior sociology/criminal justice major grew up in Philadelphia and has been playing soccer for the past 17 years.

Rotan is leading the Cavaliers so far this season in points. Having this role with 12 goals and 3 assists, he has helped the team get off to one of the best seasons so far. The team is currently 5-1 in PAC play and has an overall record of 14-2. Along with this, the team also has a current sixth place ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Regional poll.

Last year, the team had the task of playing without Rotan due to knee surgery the previous summer.

“I dieted and worked out everyday in the off-season,” Rotan said.

He trained extremely hard, most of the time with Sean Dugan who is a Cabrini alumnus, graduate, and former player on the Cavalier soccer team. His hard work evidently has paid off so far this season and his teammates have noticed.

Although the team has had many victories so far, there can be certain games that stick out the most. When asked what has been the most memorable moment so far in the season for him, Rotan could describe a specific game right away.

“It was the Widener game,” Rotan said. “Because we were down 0-1 and came back and won 3-1. It was the second time we were down this season so far and were able to come back and win.”

A lot of the success this season has been attributed to the senior leadership.

“As years progressed, we became a close-knit family and we are able to put this chemistry into the team and on the field,” Rotan said.

He says that the most important thing he wants to take away from his college playing experience is his friendship with his teammates.

Upon graduation, Rotan will continue playing in local tournaments and may consider trying out for the Philadelphia Kixx. He also would like to take up coaching soccer. Before this, he has one very important goal he and his team wishes to accomplish.

“At first I wanted to be on a team over .500 and make it to playoffs,” Rotan said. “But now we are looking to compete for the title.”