Issac Collings knows Aaron Bonser inside-out. The two Syracuse soccer players have roomed for four years straight and play on the same summer league team-the Cape Cod Crusaders.

‘We’ve played together for so long we always kind of know what the other is doing,’ Collings said. ‘Aaron is an offensive-minded defender, which always helps the team out, he’s never afraid to take the ball and go.’

But forget about on the field. Collings has plenty of stories about Bonser the roommate.

Bonser and the Orange host Louisville on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Syracuse Soccer Stadium.

‘Aaron is a good, fun kid,’ Collings said, smiling. ‘He tries to sing to the team, but he’s not that good. Our Crusaders coach calls him, ‘Backstreet Bonser.”

Bonser boasts how soccer has always kept him focused and happy, even though it was such a time-consuming commitment. When Bonser arrived at Syracuse, the entire team became his best friends.

‘Our Cape Cod coach is from England,’ Bonser said. ‘I would always gel my hair and wear nice clothes, and when I stated shaving differently and making my hair a Mohawk he’d call me a ‘Backstreet Boy’ or ‘Beckham.”

All jokes aside, Bonser brings extensive international experience to the Orange and has added depth to the defense after returning from a season-long injury in 2005.

Bonser, a junior, spent three years with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) national team before his Division I athletic career as a back left side defender.

‘Putting on the USA jersey was an amazing feeling,’ Bonser said of his time with the ODP. ‘I like being a part of a program that can prove the United States is competitive in soccer, it is a great honor.’

Bonser’s mother, Catherine, knew early her son would find success.

One day, while she was watching her 5-year old son play, a former professional soccer player from Europe, who was friends with Bonser’s coach, approached her.

‘He told me what a natural player Aaron was,’ Catherine said. ‘He told me to expect great things from Aaron and that he would go very far.’

Flash forward 16 years and one could say that all of the hype surrounding 5-year old Aaron Bonser came true. By the time he was 10, Bonser was playing for the Premiere League, which led him to the ODP. During his teens he played for the regional team and by 17 he was on the national squad.

‘ODP gave me the opportunity to play all over Europe,’ Bonser said. ‘I’ve been to France, Spain, Belgium and a few other countries. It’s so amazing to get to see soccer in its culture. A lot of Americans don’t understand how big soccer is overseas.’

Simultaneously during his ODP training, he played varsity soccer at McQuaid Jesuit (N.Y.) High School.

‘There have been so many moments that had made me so proud of Aaron,’ Catherine Bonser said. ‘But the one that stands out in my mind was when he was a new student at McQuaid and the seniors encouraged the coach to start him. The other players felt he was too talented not to be played. As a mother, that is a really proud moment, seeing older boys wanting your son to play.’

In 2005, Bonser redshirted for the season after he broke his shin bone, but after rehabbing all of last year and playing for the Crusaders, he is back and has started seven of 10 games for SU this season.

As Bonser looks toward the future, he still only sees soccer.

‘I’ve grown so much from playing with all my different teams,’ Bonser said. ‘My level of maturity has grown. The more experienced players you compete against, the more you can improve. I’ve also seen a lot of really good players fall off in college because they lose focus because the academics, athletics, and the social life becomes too much to handle.

‘I want to be a pro player. If I could play soccer and make a living off of it that would be my ultimate satisfaction point. Soccer just has just kept me focused in life.’

Published on September 27, 2006 at 12:00 pm