Men’s soccer player, Steve Knezevic, had a very impressive rookie campaign, including being named MVP of the indoor soccer team during the 2019-2020 season. He was poised to build off that, but in early 2021 the midfielder faced his hardest challenge impacting his daily life.
“I developed an Inflammatory autoimmune condition that affects most of my joints and back,” Knezevic explained. “It was a challenge to get out of bed, and I did not think it was possible to return to soccer at first. However, when I called coach Johnny Williams back in May, I could barely walk, and the preseason was starting in July.”
The journey to get back to the soccer pitch, let alone get his body back to normal, took a while, but he continued the process.
“I had to take things slow and one day at a time. Then, of course, there were a lot of lifestyle changes as well but, it was just a day-to-day process,” he explained. “The first few weeks were really tough, and I was pretty sore a lot of the time, but Coach Johnny and Coach Rich gave me the push I needed to keep going.”
All the hard work paid off for him as he was ready to suit up for the Huskies at the start of the regular season. He earned one of the most incredible honours for a player being named captain of a young team.
“It was an awesome experience as I got to grow as a leader and meet some great guys in the process,” he said. “I look at a lot of the guys like my younger brothers and there were some great laughs throughout the year.”
Despite being in arguably the most challenging division in the CCAA, the Huskies experienced the program’s best season. After going 2-4 in the regular season to qualify for the OCAA playoffs, the team went on a historic run for the program. The underdogs won three playoff road games against St. Lawrence, Fanshawe and Seneca to earn a spot in the OCAA Final. In addition, they experienced their best result at the OCAA Championship since 2007 after claiming the silver medal and a berth in the CCAA National Championship for the first time in program history.
“It was a great experience, and I could not have asked for it to happen with a better group of guys. Everybody was dialed in and there for each other,” he explained. “As much as we are a team, we all became good friends, and that’s why I think we made it as far as we did. As far as underdogs go, I think from the outside we were considered underdogs, but, as a team, we knew what we were capable of.”
As much as Knezevic is impressive on the pitch controlling the pace of a match, he’s even more impressive in the classroom. Due to his remarkable work in the Honours Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management program, he was one of two Huskies student-athletes awarded the Athletic Academic Achievement Award. It goes to student-athletes who made critical contributions to their respective teams while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Juggling academics and athletics are very challenging, but Knezevic made sure he found a way.
“It’s been a struggle over the last three and a half years, but it’s been rewarding. Staying on top of everything really comes down to not cheating yourself and putting in what you want out of it,” he said. “At the end of the day, if you have a goal for yourself and know what you want to achieve, regardless of how stressful things become, you can push through it.”
He’s on pace to graduate from the four-year program this upcoming spring, and has genuinely enjoyed everything he has accomplished.
“The great part about the program is that even now in my fourth year, I have made so many professional connections that moving forward, I will have many different career options,” he said. “I enjoy how team-oriented all the work is. Construction relies on people working together and the program really emphasizes that.”
After graduating from George Brown College, he hopes to improve his education.
“I hope to complete a master’s degree in Construction Management and move toward my ultimate goal of working in academia,” he explained.
Knezevic will wrap up his Huskies career when he plays for the Men’s Indoor Soccer team in the New Year. But, he knows being a Husky is something extraordinary.
“Being a Husky means that you’re part of a brotherhood/sisterhood that will always last,” he said. “I have become friends with players past and present that I will stay friends with for a long time.”
