Athlete Spotlight

Jace Kotsopoulos, Men's Soccer

The greatest four-year stretch by any player in the history of the Guelph Gryphons men’s soccer program belongs to Burlington native, Jace Kotsopoulos.

Four seasons ago as a freshman, the talented striker burst onto the scene, scoring a team-high 11 goals, earning him OUA All-Star status as an 18-year-old.

As a sophomore, Kotsopoulous poured in an OUA-best 17 goals during the regular season, the second highest total in the country, while helping the Gryphons claim their first OUA title in 26 years, which was followed by a national bronze medal on home soil.

By his third season, the economics major achieved All-Canadian status despite missing significant time due to injury, thanks to an explosive start to the year that saw him score 10 times in his first nine matches.

And by his fourth season, the star forward somehow managed to find a way to take his game to even greater heights.

In 2018, for just the second time in school history, the national player of the year in men’s soccer was awarded to a Guelph Gryphon. Jace Kotsopoulos achieved his greatest individual accomplishment yet by claiming the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the 2018-19 U SPORTS Player of the Year. Kotsopoulos, who joins Robbie Murphy (2011) as the only other Gryphon to take home the national honour, scored 15 goals during his All-Canadian 2018 campaign, which marked the second time in his four-year career that he had finished the regular season as the OUA’s leading scorer. In the process, Kotsopoulos also eclipsed the University of Guelph’s all-time goals record, with a school-record 56 career goals now under his belt.

And the accolades didn’t stop there.

Following the season, the talented 21-year-old became just the third male athlete in University of Guelph history to be named the OUA Male Athlete of the Year. Kotsopoulos was no longer just standing out on the pitch, he was rising above the competition from across every OUA-governed sport. As a result, Jace was announced as one of four national finalists for the 2018-19 U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Year as part of the 2019 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards.

Jace’s success at the collegiate level also translated into a professional opportunity. The newly-founded Canadian Premier League (CPL), which launched in April 2019, held its first ever U SPORTS Draft in November, where Kotsopoulos was taken 3rd overall by the CPL’s Hamilton-based franchise, Forge FC.

For Kotsopoulos, the storybook career has come as a result of adopting a simple, daily approach. “The biggest key for me is never getting complacent,” says Kotsopoulos, who became just the third men’s soccer player to be named University of Guelph Male Athlete of the Year, joining Robbie Murphy (2011-12) and Dave Guest (1985-86 & 87-88). “Since arriving at Guelph as a freshman, I’ve always tried to pride myself on working hard to improve my skills each day in training. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by some great teammates and have been able to learn from a great coach in Keith Mason.”

Kotsopoulos is also quick to point to some of the improvements he has made away from the field the past four years, “There’s no question in my mind that competing in U SPORTS over the last four years has helped me to develop into a better player, both on and off the field. My academic obligations have taught me how to effectively balance my responsibilities away from the pitch. And in terms of the competition on the field, the OUA is a great league. There are so many talented athletes competing in men’s soccer at the university level, it has definitely helped push me to new heights.”