Martin Sebastian, seated middle, was joined by his family, front from left, sister Catarina, mother Maria, father Baltazar and sisters Fatima and Maria, and in back, Seymour boys soccer head coach Matt Dennis and assistant coach Ryan Chandler when he signed to play soccer at IUPUC on Monday.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Martin Sebastian wants to play soccer at the next level, and he wants to play close to home.
The Seymour High School senior accomplished both of those goals Monday when he signed to play at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus.
“It’s close and I can still live with my family,” he said.
Sebastian said prior to his junior year, he contacted coach Matt Dennis, who invited him to practice, and he has been playing ever since.
He played a lot of right wing for the Owls, and last fall, he was named Seymour’s most improved player and earned all-Hoosier Hills Conference second team honors.
Sebastian said after scoring four goals his junior year, he scored six as a senior, and he added four assists last fall.
“I got better as I practiced more with my teammates,” Sebastian said. “I enjoy playing with my friends and meeting so many new players. They are like a family. I had fun with the team.”
Sebastian said he enjoyed marking up opponents and taking the ball away from them to try and help the Owls score.
Owls coach Matt Dennis said, “He didn’t play his first couple years in high school. He came to some workouts and got interested in the team. The amount of skill and knowledge he gained from his junior year to his senior year was remarkable. He became one of our leading scorers last year. He was really crafty. His ability on the ball improved tremendously. He got to using both feet. When I talked to the IUPUC coach about him, it was a pretty easy sell.”
This fall will be IUPUC’s second season playing men’s soccer.
“I’m looking forward to getting better there and helping make the team better,” Sebastian said.
Dennis said he is pleased that two more Owls will be playing at the next level. Jordan Ritter also signed Monday to play soccer at Anderson University.
“We’ve tried to make a list and it’s nine or 10 that have gone on to play at the next level,” Dennis said.
Sebastian will join former Owl Carter Hendrix on the IUPUC men’s soccer team.
Dennis said it should be a good fit for Sebastian.
“We know some players from Jennings County that Martin played against that’s on the team up there, so he should find himself in some familiar territory,” he said. “He’ll show his abilities to improve and work hard, and I think he’ll fit in nicely in Columbus.”