Two soccer Spartan players make their college choices

Two members of DeSmet’s state soccer championship team have made their college choices.

This week, midfielder Louis Berra signed with Ohio State, and defender Patrick Conroy to Saint Louis University.

Berra, a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Boys High School All-American, scored 19 goals on the year, including the first goals of both the state semifinal and final contests, and tallied 13 assists.

During his Spartan career, Berra recorded 33 goals and 19 assists under the direction of head coach Greg Vitello.

Berra is a talented player, Vitello said.

“Best part of his game is his vision. You can’t teach that,” Vitello said. “He can find the right guy at the right moment. It’s frustrating on his part because sometimes his teammates don’t always recognize this part of the game. He is gifted soccer athlete who works at his game constantly.”

Vitello said he saw early on Berra was going to be a special player.

“He always has had the skills,” Vitello said. “With an increase in size and strength, he has become a dynamic player.”

The 5-foot-9 Berra has been playing soccer since he was 5 years old. He first played select soccer with Busch and also spent a season with Lou Fusz. He has played the last three seasons in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Academy program.

Berra was a key player as St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Missouri won its division title in the US Soccer Development Academy last season. Berra’s 10 goals were the second-highest on the team, and he played in every match for SLSG.

Conroy was a first-team All-Metro Catholic Conference selection as a defender. A solid ground and air defender, Conroy helped De Smet shutout 15 teams and outscore the opposition 75-22 as a senior. He also added two goals for the Spartan’s state championship squad.

Berra said being recruited got to be a grind after a while.

“I really enjoyed the recruiting process at first, but when it got close to decision time I focused more and it intensified,” Berra said. “It is relieving to have this done. It gives me time to focus on school and playing soccer more.

Getting to play in the Big 10 was attractive to Berra but there were other reasons for him to become a Buckeye.

“I chose Ohio State mainly because of the coaching staff, campus, and style of play in there soccer program,” Berra said. “I also liked their outstanding academics.”

Other schools pursuing Berra were SMU, Saint Louis University and Santa Clara.

He beleives he’ll have a chance to play quickly at Ohio State.

“I plan on not red-shirting,” Berra said. “I have a fighting chance at playing right away.”

There will be an adjustment going to play at the Division I level. It’s one thing Berra said he is looking forward to tackling.

I know the challenge ahead of me is going to be more physical with increased speed, but that is something I will get use to as time goes on,” Berra said.

Looking back, Berra has some highlights that stand out for him playing for DeSmet.

“My two top moments were Scott Russo’s goal in the district finals against CBC and obviously winning a state championship,” Berra said.

Berra played a big role helping DeSmet (25-4-1) win the Missouri Class 3 championship. He scored the first goals for DeSmet in both the semifinal and championship games.

Vitello said he has enjoyed coaching Berra.

“He’s a very good student,” Vitello said. “He represents DeSmet well both on and off the field. He’s been a dynamic player who plays with an incredible amount of energy. His teammates feed of this energy. He really loves to play the game and that is evident in his play.”