University of Maryland sophomore goalkeeper Zack Steffen will skip his last two college seasons to sign with SC Freiburg of the German Bundesliga, the university said on Friday.
The 19-year-old Steffen, a member of the U.S. U-20 team, spent two years as the Terps' starting goalkeeper. He is the first player since Robbie Rogers in 2005 to leave the program for an overseas opportunity. Other Maryland standouts to sign internationally immediately following their time at Maryland include Taylor Twellman (Munich 1860) and Philip Salyer (Werder Bremen).
Soc: Steffen Signs with SC Freiburg of Bundesliga: Maryland sophomore goalkeeper Zack Steffen will forgo his f... http://t.co/4QaTrAc8Z2
- Maryland Athletics (@umterps) December 12, 2014
"My time at Maryland has been nothing short of spectacular," Steffen told UMTerps.com. "I want to thank my coaches and my teammates for an amazing two years in College Park. While at Maryland, I've had a chance to develop both on the field and off and I am excited to take the next step in my soccer career. I'd also like to thank the fans -- the best in all of college soccer --for their incredible support."
The 6-2 Steffen, led Maryland to a pair of conference tournament titles in his two years in college. He played every minute of every match for the Terps, also leading them to two regular-season conference crowns.
The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native is affiliated with the Philadelphia Union academy.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Zack and we could not be more proud of him," head coach Sasho Cirovski said. "Zack is going to have a long and prosperous soccer career and we feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to help Zack in his growth both as a player and as a person. On behalf of all of Terp Nation, we wish Zack nothing but the absolute best."