From the time he started playing soccer at age four, freshman forward Thorsten Pacher knew he wanted to continue playing the sport and be part of a soccer program at a university in the United States.

Now, he's getting that chance.

Pacher, a native of Rottenmann, Austria, has been playing soccer for 13 years and said he enjoys the sport even though it isn't popular in Austria.

"Skiing is more popular in my country, but I started playing soccer with my friends," Pacher said. "I came to the United States to study, but I want to continue playing soccer."

Although most of his friends went to the United Kingdom to pursue higher education, Pacher applied to schools in the United States and his father helped him through the college search process, he said.

"My dad also wanted me to get a secondary degree so we looked at schools with a good athletic program and also good academics," Pacher said. "Academics are always No. 1 for me."

Pacher said his father found Elon and thought it would be a good fit for his son. Pacher agreed that Elon fit the description of the institution he was looking for and sent head coach Darren Powell footage of himself playing.

"The campus seemed nice and the combination of athletics and academics seemed like the best fit for me," Pacher said. "And we had to send the coach footage because he obviously couldn't see me play."

Although soccer is a universal sport, there are still some differences in playing the sport in the United States and other countries, and Pacher said his fears led to some uncertainty about playing soccer for an American university.

"I was skeptical because you don't hear a lot about soccer being popular in the U.S.," he said.

Nonetheless, Pacher was accepted to Elon and recruited to play for the Elon men's soccer team, something he described as an opportunity and a dream come true to play at a collegiate level.

In his years before Elon, Pacher lived in New York, Ottawa and Vienna, where he was a striker for SV Schwechat, an Austrian club team, for three years, and according to the team's roster, he is still part of the club.

Pacher practiced with the Elon men's soccer team during preseason and found the opportunity enjoyable despite his initial fears about playing in the United States, he said.

"We have a really good team and everything here seems a bit more physical here than in Europe," Pacher said. "People here are bigger and are in better physical shape than back at home and they have good technical skills. Elon could be ranked really high in the country."

Pacher said when he's not in class, he can be found on the field practicing with the team.

"Almost everything I do is with the team," he said. "I've gotten to know the guys and we're becoming a tight-knit crew. I'm just glad to be part of the team and to play with experienced players. I'm ready to play wherever the coaches need me. I hope this is the year we get to the NCAA."

Off the field, Pacher said he enjoys baseball and basketball but isn't as good at those sports.

"When I lived in New York, I tried to go experience American sports," he said.

Pacher said he is looking forward to any way he can contribute to the Phoenix soccer team, and is excited to learn more about what it means to play on an American team.