Blues striker Kovacevic looking to end disappointing season on a high in Kazan

After completing his third season with the Varsity Blues, striker Mario Kovacevic heads to Kazan, Russia next month to compete on team Canada’s men’s soccer team at the FISU Universiade.

Kovacevic played all 11 of the Blues’ games this season, scoring nine goals, and was named an OUA East second team all-star. In 2011, he ranked fifth in the OUA in goals scored with 11, and was named an OUA first team all-star. His impact on the Blues soccer team has increased significantly from his rookie year, when he played 13 games but scored only a single goal.

This past year, the Blues carried a winning record of 8-6-2, but Kovacevic noted that it was a disappointing season compared to previous seasons. “Last year was one of our worst seasons with the Blues in several years,” he noted. “We finished fourth in the league and didn’t make the OUA Final Four. We had a lot of fresh faces, and a very young team. I had a decent season, [but] not as good as my previous season as a Blue.”

Despite this disappointment, Kovacevic is looking forward to competing in the Summer Universiade. “I’m pumped to be a part of the team going,” he said. However, with a team composed of players from different universities, he acknowledges that there may be some struggles, when everyone has their own playing style. “It’ll be interesting to see how we gel and come together.”

Kovacevic hopes that the team can perform competitively throughout the tournament, and has set high individual goals. “Individually, I really want to be on the field for 90 minutes every game, as you can imagine,” he said. “As a team, I want us to get out of the group stage at least. I’ve been training six days a week trying to get in tip-top shape for this tournament, and really want to impress the coaching staff on the first day of camp.”

The road to this point in his soccer career has been a long one for Kovacevic, who first played at the age of four in Croatia. He began playing organized soccer when he was eight years old. “It’s been with me every step of the way since childhood,” he said.

However, Kovacevic paused his soccer career for a period of time in his teens. “I really got into volleyball in high school, and played in the OVA for a few years which took me away from soccer,” he explained. “But I got back into it seriously when my volleyball career ended with the end of grade 12.”

This is not Kovacevic’s first time playing on a quality soccer team, either. This past year, he played for the Toronto FC Academy team in the Canadian Soccer League. He also had the opportunity to play a few games on the Toronto FC Reserve team in the MLS Reserve League. Along with competing on these teams, he has trained with the Toronto FC first team.

Going into his fourth year as a Blue, Kovacevic hopes that the team can find a place at the top of the standings in the OUA. “I expect us to do much better this coming season. Our team has matured naturally, and we’ve gotten some new additions [in] the off season,” he said. “Seeing as this might be my last season as a Blue, I expect it to be my best.”

With his chance to compete in the FISU games and approaching his final season competing in the OUA, Kovacevic’s career is set to end on a high note. “I’m being realistic in knowing that unless some sort of miracle happens, my soccer career has reached its pinnacle with this tournament in Russia.”