Sean Adams had a very successful high school soccer career at Salisbury. He was one of the all-time leaders in goals scored, and he played on teams that consistently were contending for league and district championships each and every year.

But it did not come so easy in his first year of college. The 2013 graduate always found playing time as a Falcon, and was a contributor to the varsity roster from the get-go, but that wasn't the case his freshman season last year at Catholic University in Washington D.C. Adams saw time in four games in 2013.

"I was not fully up to the speed of the college game from the beginning and came in a little unprepared," Adams said. "There was also a lot of depth at my position and a large senior class. Not many freshman played meaningful minutes. By the end of the year, I was a lot more comfortable and my confidence was up."

He now sees a brighter future. He's played a bigger role through the early portion of the 2014 schedule.

"I came into preseason this year much more prepared," said Adams. "I traveled a great deal this summer to play for a couple high level soccer teams that would get me ready for the fall. I also worked hard to make sure I was fit.

"I came in with much more confidence and knowing I was capable of making an impact. I knew I had the technical and athletic ability to play a bigger role, I just had to stay mentally focused and work hard from day one. I'm glad to be playing much more this year as my ultimate goal was to contribute in a bigger way to our team's success. It's always good to score goals, but I'm a true team player and I will fill whatever role my coach asks of me."

The Cardinals have started 2014 with a 4-5 overall record, but have only played three conference games thus far. There is much promise for a traditionally powerhouse Division III program, especially with a goal scorer like Adams, who is tied for the team lead in goals scored, and second in points recorded.

"Catholic is a very successful soccer program with a ton of tradition," said Adams. "Over the past few years the program has really turned into a national powerhouse especially after making the NCAA tournament last year. The mindset is the same each and every year. We come in planning on competing for a conference championship. We were predicted to win the conference in the preseason poll, so it is clear that everyone regards us highly. So far this season we have had some ups and downs. We just need to work on competing each day and grinding out wins."

There were always a couple of other schools that were hoping for his services on the pitch, but in the end Catholic was the one that stood out the most. And it is a decision Adams has never looked back or second guessed.

"I considered quite a few schools before eventually choosing Catholic," Adams said. "Most of them were strong D-III soccer programs with solid academics. After spending over a year at Catholic, I can say that I am extremely pleased with my decision to come here. The soccer program here is among the best D-III programs in the country.

"The academics here are very strong, especially in the engineering department. The campus is beautiful. Being in DC is one of the best things about the school."

The things he learned on and off the field in high school played a big part in Adams blossoming college career.

"Salisbury played a critical role in helping to get me prepared for college in terms of both soccer and school," said Adams. "I owe a great deal to [Salisbury boys soccer head] coach [Mark] Allinson, who really put a lot of trust in me from my freshman year and helped me to continue improving.

"The soccer program at Salisbury is one with a great deal of winning tradition that expects to be among the best teams in the area each and every year. I was grateful to play a part in continuing the tradition and helping our teams be successful each year. The academics at Salisbury prepared me for college and helped me learn the type of self motivation that it takes to do well in college. People are not going to hand you anything and it is important to learn that early."

The biomedical engineering major is interested in getting into research and the field of robotics once his college career is over.