UTRGV men’s soccer continues to add local Rio Grande Valley talent to their roster under Head Coach Paul Leese; this year includes Mark Boswell, a freshman midfielder from Brownsville.
Boswell amassed multiple awards, including All-Metro Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and All-Metro MVP and All-Valley Soccer Player of the Year in 2019, while being a four-year starter at Veterans Memorial Early College High School.
Despite a widely successful high school soccer career, his memories remain bittersweet as his senior season, like so many other soccer players around the U.S., was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not favorite but called sad at the same time – disappointing in a way – the three years I played in high school we made it to the two games before state, we’re so close but… I feel like my senior year if it wasn’t for COVID we would have won.”
Despite the sting of not being able to finish his senior season still haunting him with the ever-present question of, ‘What could have been?’
Boswell now looks to start a new chapter with the only Division I university that offered him a scholarship, UTRGV.
Coach Leese says that he first heard about Boswell as a freshman and kept a close eye on him as he attended UTRGV summer ID camps.
Boswell’s technical ability in the midfield and being able to put his teammate in winning situations with his soccer IQ continually impressed Coach Leese in the recruiting process.
He was a little bit faster, a little bit trickier, but one of the things that I tried to focus on when I recruit and this was very evident with Mark, I think tactically he has a very high soccer IQ so you can see him, his brain was working every minute of the game.
Although COVID-19 has affected how UTRGV men’s soccer trains for a possible upcoming spring season, Boswell says he has adjusted well with his new teammates.
“I know everybody on the team, everybody is cool with each other and it wasn’t a hard adjustment or anything. Everybody, the upperclassmen [are] very opening and just very friendly. It’s a great group.
Coach Leese also highlighted Boswell’s calm, cool and collected demeanor as it gives him the opportunity to be one of the future leaders of a continually rising UTRGV soccer program but also reminds him of former UTRGV alum and Brownsville native, Isidro Martinez, who currently plays for RGVFC Toros of the USL.
“There are, I mean same position that they play, both of them technically very strong both of them tactically, like we said, soccer IQ very strong and this may be the biggest factor both of them are tremendously disciplined and committed. They are humble, they’re fully aware that they need to grow as much as they can.”
Boswell will be majoring in exercise science because he wants to help other athletes in the future.
For more updates and highlights, visit GoUTRGV.com.
For Vaquero Radio, I’m Luis Rubio.
