Maumee alum puts scoring spin on defensive position

Brower among team's point leaders

11/16/2011
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Jamie Brower, a junior at Adrian College, says he's not looking for goals but is 'trying to set up other people for goals.' His play this past season earned him a spot on the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association second team for the second straight season.
Jamie Brower, a junior at Adrian College, says he's not looking for goals but is 'trying to set up other people for goals.' His play this past season earned him a spot on the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association second team for the second straight season.

Jamie Brower, a junior on the Adrian College men's soccer team, ranked among the team's scoring leaders this season with a goal and three assists.

What makes those numbers impressive is that Brower, a Maumee High School graduate, plays defense for the Bulldogs.

But Brower said that instead of hanging back near his team's net to prevent goals, he also looks for opportunities to provide a spark on offense.

"I get some goals off free kicks and some assists off free kicks," Brower said.

"But I'll make a run up the field every now and then, if in the run of play it's the smart move. Otherwise I'll sit back [and wait].

"I'm not looking for goals. I'm looking to set up other people for goals."

Brower's play this past season earned him a berth on the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association second team for the second straight season.

And it's proof that the Maumee native made a good choice when he decided to play soccer instead of football in college.

"There were four-year schools looking at me [as a placekicker] for football, but I want to stay with soccer," he said. "I wanted to stay with the sport I love. I have a strong passion for [soccer].

"Football was an add-on sport [for me]. I liked it, and I played it through middle school. But I didn't expect to be an outstanding kicker. I did it to help the other guys on the team."

Brower started all 20 games he played as a freshman at Adrian, scoring two goals and adding two assists.

As a sophomore he won all-league honors by playing in 20 games and finishing with one assist for a team that went 9-9-2 one season after going 7-10-3.

"My freshman season was a rebuilding year," Brower said.

"My sophomore year we got some more good players, players who had played at a high level, and we began to move forward."

Brower acknowledged that Adrian's 4-12-2 record this season was a disappointment.

"We had built such a good bond, and it all kind of fell apart," he said.

As Brower, who is on track to graduate with a business degree, starts to look at life after his soccer career ends, he said he still wants to be involved with the sport.

"I'm doing some coaching with the Toledo Celtics, which was my club team," he said.

"I want to stick around the game of soccer, and that's a great way to do it.

"I've always tried to be a leader, and being a leader isn't far off from coaching. "What I like about coaching is when you teach someone something, see it work, then have them trust you."

But coaching is in the future for Brower, who already has started thinking about his senior season at Adrian.

"I'm hoping for the best," he said. "We'll have a strong group, and I look forward to us making progress for the future.

"I will just try to represent the program, and try to do the small things well. If you do the small things right, the big picture will come together."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.