SACO — Thornton Academy soccer standout Simon Trcka has added one more honor to this long list of awards and accomplishments. Recently, the senior forward was informed by the Maine Soccer Coaches Association that he had been chosen as one of three Maine players to be a National Soccer Coaches Association of America “All-New England” player. It is the first time a TA boys soccer player has received this honor.
“I am always happy when I get rewarded and it keeps me to continue to work hard,” Trcka said. “I was injured and didn’t play almost half of the season, so I didn’t expect anything like this.”
“I was very happy to hear that Simon had been selected as one of the three players from Maine to be selected All-New England,” TA coach Andrew Carlson said. “It is a great accomplishment and very well deserved.”
Trcka is from the Czech Republic and is part of the Thornton Academy International Boarding Program. He played two seasons for the Trojans and scored 32 goals with 10 assists in that time frame. His awards include SMAA 1st team, MSCA All-State, Portland Press Herald All-State and Journal Tribune Player of the Year for both his junior and senior seasons.
“Any type of award or honor for what I do every day makes me happy,” Trcka said. “I have played soccer my whole life, so it is nice to be rewarded for that.”
“Coming from Prague, traveling across the world to grow academically in the classroom is a huge task,” Carlson said. “Acclimating to a new culture, living on your own, integrating yourself into a existing program, developing new relationships is a challenge. Simon took these challenges on and also decided to embrace the task of becoming a dominant player. This award is confirmation of this process.”
Trcka’s arrival to TA has come at a time when the boys soccer program is enjoying its best run of results in many years. Adding a potent scorer to a mixture of strong defenders and midfielders led Thornton to an 11-1-2 record in 2015. Trcka says some of the credit for his success has to be given to his teammates.
“I have to say this year we had one of the best teams in Maine,” Trcka said. “We had many seniors that also play club soccer. We are all good friends and that helps the team chemistry. Without them I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything like this.”
“Collectively, I think this award is recognition of all the people who have helped Simon to get to this stage of this life,” Carlson said. “Simon would be the first to admit that awards are a reflection of collective effort that is demonstrated by individuals. Simon’ s play on the field created an environment that allowed his teammates to grow into better players. His teammates contributions on and off the field allow Simon to grow into a better person.”
It’s not just on the field that Trcka excels – it’s also been in the classroom. He has a 3.8 GPA, was named to the SMAA Academic All-League in 2015, takes four advanced placement classes and is fluent in four languages. Trcka is planning to attend and play soccer at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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