YORKTOWN, VA (WAVY) — Kecoughtan senior Tre Barrett was a star for the Warriors boys varsity soccer team, as his 50 goals and 23 assists in 40 games made him one of the standout players in the 757.
Lionsbridge FC took note.
“He’s got a lot of ability,” said Lionsbridge head coach Chris Whalley. “Obviously he’s a good finisher of the ball.”
When Lionsbridge offered him a spot on the team, Barrett had a choice to make. He could play for both Kecoughtan and Lionsbridge, or choose one over the other. For the sake of his health and the opportunity playing full-time for a USL 2 team presented, Barrett chose to forgo his senior soccer season, and join The Bridge.
Just to keep this in mind, Barrett is still a student at Kecoughtan. With only weeks left until graduation, it’s been a busy schedule.
“I’ll be at class a few minutes late, but my grades are still good and I’m still putting in the work in the classroom,” Barrett said. “My parents are cool with it and support it, so this all works out very well.”
And he didn’t waste any time since beginning his pre-professional career with Lionsbridge. During his debut game, he scored a hat-trick.
“It’s been amazing,” Barrett said. “The team is extremely good. Obviously coming back from a national final, it’s a huge jump from high school and club to here.”
In the American soccer system, a lot of elite level high school-aged talent will prematurely leave the high school level to pursue a club or even pro dream. Regardless, Barrett wants people watching him as an example to remember the places that molded them into the success stories they’ll eventually be.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Barrett said. “I stopped playing at Kecoughtan, and that took a lot out of me. I represented that school through and through. I want to be known as a player who went against all the odds and didn’t play for a huge club. I want to show that you can do it no matter what your circumstances are.”