Daviess County’s own Connor Johnson is set to play D1 soccer right across the Ohio River after he signed with the University of Evansville.
The goalkeeper played his final season with the Panthers this past Fall where he was named as District 9’s Co-Player of the Year. Johnson had 13 shutouts in the 27 games he was in between the sticks this season, and he only conceded 24 goals throughout the entire season. He also helped lead Daviess County to not only their 10th district title in a row, but their 10th regional championship as well before making it to the Sweet 16 in the state tournament.
Playing collegiate soccer at the highest level was always a dream for Johnson, and signing with the Aces made that dream come true, he said.
Johnson was drawn to the University of Evansville after meeting with the team and staff. Johnson saw one more unique opportunity at the school in the form of an old teammate.
“I decided to choose UofE after getting to meet their young coaching staff along with the team. I also get to reunite with my former high school teammate Carson Thomas.”
Evansville, Indiana lies just northeast from Owensboro along the Ohio River. Johnson originally wanted to live far away while attending college, but his close proximity to Owensboro does not bother in the slightest, he said. Johnson’s preparation for his freshman season involves training at the gym to get in shape and sharpening his mentality. Johnson is still undecided on what he wants to study while attending UofE, but has his options down to going into business or engineering.
When looking back on his high school soccer career, Johnson said the thing he will miss the most is playing with the teammates he has been alongside for years.
“One big thing I’ll miss about high school soccer is playing alongside my teammates that I’ve been playing with for years; especially one of my best friends, Sam Glover.”
