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STEVE LEEGators midfielder Andrew Falcon accepted a partial scholarship.
LAND O'LAKES - Andrew Falcon visited Queens College last month and considered joining Land O'Lakes teammate Nelson Garcia on a soccer field at the Division II school in New York.
But Falcon will not be setting up Garcia, who in March accepted an offer from Queens, as he did so often for the Gators. Instead, the midfielder will stay closer to home and play for Florida Southern.
Falcon has accepted a partial athletic scholarship worth more than half of the $24,000 annual tuition at the Division II school in Lakeland. Falcon considered Queens and Tampa, but neither school made an offer.
"It feels really good to know I'm going somewhere," Falcon said.
"He told me years ago he wanted a college scholarship, and now that's happened," Land O'Lakes coach Mark Pearson said.
Falcon is coming off his best season, with 12 goals and 21 assists. A four-year varsity player, he finished his career with 50 goals and 53 assists for 103 points.
His most memorable game came in a district final as a sophomore when he had two assists in Land O'Lakes' 3-2 win over Gulf.
"He's probably the most skilled player we've had in the last couple of years," Pearson said.
As an eighth-grader at Pine View Middle School, Falcon scored 14 goals, his single-season high.
Falcon started out in the Central Pasco United Soccer Association as a 4-year-old and played in that league for four seasons. He also played competitively with the West Pasco Thunder and for Hillsborough United.
The 18-year-old credited Pearson for his development, saying the coach helped him become more skillful and confident.
"He's made me who I am as a player," Falcon said. "Mentally, he made me stronger as a person, as to be able to handle stressful situations. He put a lot of confidence in me."
Pearson said Falcon became better each season.