Lund, keeper of the GW net

Eric Lund has not only prevented goals from being scored, but he has achieved some goals too.

The former Colony High School standout enjoyed one of his finest seasons on the soccer field helping lead his George Washington team to an Atlantic 10 title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.

"Playing Division I soccer was my goal while growing up," Lund said.

Lund, a junior goaltender, finished with a 12-3 record on the season, allowing only 15 goals in 16 games. Lund saw nearly 1,300 minutes of playing time for the Colonials, making 72 saves.

The Valley native was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team after leading his squad to a 4-3 overtime victory of Massachusetts and a 3-2 win over Duquesne in their run to the A-10 title.

Lund cited the victory over UMass as one of the highlights of his college career. GW scored with just a tenth of a second left on the clock in overtime to win the contest. Lund pitched an overtime shutout to help secure the win.

"The overtime win against UMass deffinitely was a highlight," Lund said. "It is pretty unheard of to have a buzzer beater in soccer."

While leading GW to an eventual conference title earlier this season, Lund was establishing himself as one of the top collegiate goaltenders in the nation. In late October, Lund was ranked 11th in the country in goals against average.

"That was a big accomplishment," Lund said. "I am very proud of that."

There was a period during the season where Lund was just not allowing his opponents to score. Lund led GW on a five-game winning streak during the season where he posted three shutouts and didn't allow a goal for nearly 300 consecutive minutes.

Lund put in a great deal of time and effort in the preparation for his career in collegiate soccer. After three standout years at the varsity level for the Colony soccer team, Lund decided it would be in his best interest to conclude his high school career outside of Alaska.

While at Colony, Lund was named to the all-state squads three times, capping off his junior campaign with an All-State first team nod. Lund was the Knights' starting goaltender during the span and also competed on a Mat-Su competitive team that traveled as far as Canada and England to compete in tournaments.

After his junior year at Colony concluded, Lund began to weigh his options to decide where he would like to attend his senior year of high school. Due to a recomendation from a roommate at a soccer camp, Lund looked into Bradenton Academy High School in Florida.

After looking into the school, Lund made the decision to enroll at Bradenton Academy.

"They focus on soccer," Lund said. "Since it is in Florida, you could train every day. You can't train outside in the winter in Alaska."

"My roommate at the ODP camp said it was amazing," Lund said of the academy.

The move to Bradenton helped Lund achieve his ultimate goal of playing Division I soccer. Lund utilized Bradenton's lavish facilities to train on a daily basis. While at Bradenton, Lund again had the opportunity to travel abroad, playing games against teams in Brazil.

Lund again used a recomendation to make the decision where he would like to next attend school and play soccer.

This time he turned to family for advice. Lund's cousin Mark is a George Washington graduate and a former member of the Colonials men's basketball team where he garnered GW Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honors in 1998.

Mark Lund helped convince his younger cousin to make George Washington is school of choice and Washington D.C. his new residence.

"My cousin told me all about it and I just got interested," Lund said. "I love this school, there is always something going on."

"It is a great campus and the soccer is very competitive," Lund added.

In addition to his work on the soccer field, Lund is majoring in business with a focus on entrepenuership and small business administration.

With his junior season just over, Lund is already thinking about his senior campaign with the Colonials.

After a brief two month break, Lund will again be back at work on the soccer field, this time in the defense of a conference title.