Former Bison Soccer Standout Conor O'Brien Joins Pro Team in Denmark
8/9/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 9, 2010
(**UPDATE Aug. 10 ** In his pro debut, Conor O'Brien played all 90 minutes in the midfield and helped Blokhus FC to a 2-0 win over Aars FC on Tuesday night.)
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Conor O'Brien '10, one of the most highly decorated soccer players to pass through Bucknell, has joined the Blokhus FC team in Denmark, and O'Brien could make his professional debut as soon as Tuesday when his new side takes on Aars FC in a Danish FA Cup match.
Blokhus FC, which plays in the town of Pandrup on the northwest coast of Denmark, competes in the Danish Second Division West. Competing under first-year head coach Soren Coachman, Blokhus won its season opener 3-2 over Aarhus Fremad on Saturday. The team finished fifth in the 16-team league last season, sporting a 15-8-7 record while conceding a league-low 23 goals in 30 games.
According to Coachman via a Google-translated Web report, "[O'Brien] is a very technical player, a creative player with a good eye for the game. He is good at finding the key passes. He can give us much in the creative part of the game and will make us dangerous."
Following a brilliant senior year at Bucknell in 2009, O'Brien was one of 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy, which is soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy as the national player of the year. He earned NSCAA Second Team All-America honors, becoming the first Bucknell soccer All-American in 33 years, and he was named the Philly Soccer News Men's College Player of the Year.
O'Brien, who turned heads with a strong performance at the MLS combine in January, in 2009 became only the fourth player in Patriot League history to repeat as the league's Offensive Player of the Year. He was also a First Team All-Patriot League selection after leading the league in goals (11), assists (9) and points (31). More importantly, he co-captained the Bison to a school-record 17 wins, a Patriot League championship and an NCAA Tournament first-round win over Princeton.
It was O'Brien's third All-Patriot League certificate, as he was also a first-team selection in 2008 and a second-team pick as a sophomore in 2007. O'Brien had a point in 17 of the team's 23 games this season, and in 22 of 28 matches dating back to the end of the 2008 season. Seven of his 11 goals were game-winners, the most dramatic of which was his golden goal against Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
O'Brien wrapped up his magnificent career ranked second on Bucknell's career list for assists (25), sixth in points (77) and ninth in goals (26). He is the highest scoring Bison player in the last 20 years.