It didn’t take long for men’s soccer player Jordan Seabrook to make a name for himself.

Last year as a freshman during USF’s first season in the Big East, Seabrook started 18 of 21 games and not only led the Bulls, but also the entire conference, in goals (14) and points (36).

Recognition for Seabrook’s play came in the form of a spot on the 2006 preseason All-Big East team, as well as being named one of the “100 freshmen from coast to coast to keep an eye on” by College Soccer News. The now-sophomore striker also ended the season 15th in the nation in points per game and 30th in goals per game.

Such praise and success after only one year of collegiate soccer could easily put pressure on a player to live up to heightened expectations for his sophomore season, but Seabrook knows the key is not individual success

“I don’t feel a lot of pressure for me, particularly, to perform individually, but just to do what I can to help the team,” Seabrook said. “And I really think that I’ll be able to do that, whether it’s scoring goals, getting assists or just working hard and helping the overall cause.”

It’s that team-first mentality fifth-year coach George Kiefer thinks makes Seabrook special.

“He is a very talented player,” Kiefer said. “The thing that I like about Jordan is that he’s a team guy, and he’s definitely going to be a guy that’s competing for some time up top.”

Kiefer has also made sure Seabrook, along with the rest of his team, understands that while recognition and awards might be exciting, they mean nothing when the Bulls kick off the season.

“Coach has just been reminding us that this season is a whole new season,” Seabrook said. “It feels good to get the recognition, but then again, preseason selections don’t really have much bearing anymore. This is a whole new season, and we still have to go out and win the games and continue to prove ourselves. That’s what we need to do to be a great program.”

The Bulls will deal with high expectations this year. However, Seabrook welcomes the challenge and is excited about the chance to get back on the field and show what he can do.

“The expectations have just made us want it that much more and will make us step up our game,” Seabrook said. “We knew that last year we snuck up on a few teams and not everybody was ready for us, but now they will be. But we’ll have to take that as a challenge, and I think we’ll be able to handle it.”