Junior forward Inigo Bronte stands in line with his teammates for the national anthem before their match against UNC Charlotte on Sept. 11,2018. The Phoenix lost to the 49ers 4-0.
ZACHARY OHMANN1 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Inigo Bronte is taking on the
United States with style as
new Elon men’s soccer forward
Jack Haley
• Sports Director I @jackhaleyl7
H ome matches for junior
forward Inigo Bronte of Elon
University’s men’s soccer team look
a bit different than they did last year.
The almost 15-hour flight from his home
in Pamplona, Spain, is all that separates
Bronte from his old life. But the distance
isn’t the only thing that has changed for
him. This entire experience at Elon and
on Elons soccer team is one that he is still
adjusting to.
Bronte hails from the land most famous
for its running of the bulls. People line the
957'yard path to watch the bulls thrash
• ‘their way into the town’s bullring, clad in
^white and red.
'' ’ Bronte played a bullring of his own in
the past few years. Before coming to Elon as
a redshirt junior, Bronte played under the
lights of Estadio Ripagaina for fourth-tier
Spanish soccer team UCD Burlades.
The forward found his way to Elon in a
much more hurried fashion than most nor
mally do. Many recruits will start the pro
cess years in advance, sometimes as early as
their sophomore year of high school when
they are 16 years old. Bronte did not have
the luxury of time in his process getting to
North Carolina.
“It was a very intense process for me
because I started the process in late June,”
Bronte said. Pair the late start with a work
schedule and the time difference between
Spain and the United States, and Bronte’s
process to join the club became a stressful
one.
The differences are becoming apparent
to Bronte, who is now seven games into his
Elon career. For one, Bronte is playing with
much younger competition this year than
he has in a long time.
“In Spain, I played the last years with
adults, something that changes the game
completely,” Bronte said.
Another major change Bronte has seen
is how he has a lot less time this year to
make an impact on the club. Not only is he
coming in halfway through college, but he
ZACHARY OHMANN [ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior forward Inigo Bronte plots his next move against UNC Charlotte on Sept. 11,2018.
u
is also seeing a severe cut in the length of
the season. In Spain, Bronte had a 42-game
season to help his team find a way into the
postseason. Now with the Phoenix, Bronte
will have less than half
that - just 17 games - to
try and make their way
into the postseason.
So far, Bronte has
proved up to the task.
The forward leads the
team in almost every
major offensive category,
including points, shots,
goals, shots on goal and
game-winning goals.
Bronte has been averag
ing almost 3.5 shots per
game through the first
seven games of his first
season with this new
squad.
Bronte’s brilliance
was on display when
the team traveled north
on Interstate 95 to visit
the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers Universi
ty. Bronte showed his world-class ability
by scoring the opening three goals of the
IN SPAIN, RELATIONS
WERE MUCH CLOSER
THAN HERE. THIS IS
PROBABLY WHAT I
MISSTHE MOST, BUT
I’M VERY HAPPY WITH
HOWTHINGSARE
GOING HERE.
INIGO BRONTE
match and added an assist in the Phoenix
8-1 dismantling of the home side. Bronte
needed just 28 minutes to score a hat trick
in the match. His first goal found the back
of the net from a seem
ingly impossible scoring
position near midfield.
The Rutgers goalkeeper
was caught off his line
and Bronte snuck his
shot in below the cross
bar to give the Phoenix
a 1 -0 lead in that match.
Though Bronte is
playing well, that doesn’t
mean he hasn’t faced
challenges adjusting to
life in the United States.
The game itself is played
much differently for
starters. “The style is
completely different,”
Bronte said. “Substitu
tions change everything.”
In the Colonial Athletic
Association (CAA), a
player can substitute off and back on to the
pitch during the game. In Bronte’s previous
league, once a player is subbed off, they
cannot come back on for the remainder of
the match.
Bronte also noted the style of play is dif
ferent. “In Spain, games were much more
tactical and a little less rhythmic in some
facets of the game,” Bronte said. “We played
with much more control of the ball and
therefore a lot less chances.”
Even though it may be hard to see it at
times, life is more than just sports. Com
ing to Elon was an entire upheaval of
what Bronte has known his entire life. The
change in soccer play may be different to
him in the United States, but none of that
compares to the lifestyle changes that Bron
te is facing.
Bronte said being an athlete has given
him a lot of confidence and has been very
helpful in his transition to college life and
life in the United States. “We move in a
month before everyone than the rest of the
students, so I have had more time getting
used to everything,” Bronte said.
Things like food, culture, lifestyle and
language are things a lot of college students
take for granted when going to college. But
those are all things the Spain native had to
adjust to while preparing for the fall athletic
schedule.
One of the biggest adjustments is some
thing that is quite common for many stu
dents. Bronte was used to a close-knit com
munity at home, something he feels is not
the same in the United States.
“In Spain, relations were much closer
than here; people tend to do more things
together. I am used to spending more time
with my family and friends in the streets,
hanging out, watching games together,”
Bronte said. “This is probably what I miss
the most, but Tm very happy with how
things are going here for the moment.”
The team simulates some of that close
ness that Bronte is missing from home,
however nothing can replace family. But
Bronte is not alone on the team. 14 of the
squad’s 33 players are international stu
dents, making it one of the school’s most
diverse teams.
Bronte has gotten his feet underneath
himself and shown that he is a force on the
team. All the moving parts he had to deal
with have made his performance on the
pitch just that much more impressive. Bron
te’s ability to translate the World’s Game to
the pitch in United States is a testament to
the grit and grind that has made him an in
tegral part of Elons squad this year.