The hours of commitment have paid off for Valley East native Scott Cliff, who recently accepted a soccer scholarship from Division II NCAA school Oakland City University in Southern Indiana. The Grade 12 student at Confederation High-School is a well-known competitive soccer netminder who has also excelled at a wide variety of different sports.

"I probably started playing soccer and hockey when I was about six years old" said Cliff, who will spend his third straight summer in Barrie over the next few months, competing in Central Soccer League play. "One of my goalkeeper coaches had suggested a few years back that if I was really hoping to get a little extra visibility, it might help to head south during the summer" noted Cliff, who also played competitive soccer in Valley East and with Panhellenic in his youth.

Over his high-school athletic career, Cliff has participated in hockey, football, badminton, basketball and soccer, playing an integral part of the Chargers squad that captured their inaugural football championship last November. The eighteen year old Cliff and his family spent some time finalizing his post-secondary plans. "We did a lot of research, sent out e-mails to coaches and visited four schools" stated Cliff, who was recently informed of also being accepted at the University of Guelph.

"But I think Oakland City University offered the most...and after talking with their coach, I could really see myself being able to progress in my sport" said Cliff. The talented netminder will head to Barrie immediately following exams and must report to the Mighty Oaks training camp on August 18th, with Oakland City playing their home opener on September 2nd.

Cliff, who continued to travel to Brampton on many weekends throughout the winter perfecting his goaltending technique, believes that the dedication he demonstrated in pursuing his dream was a key to catching the eye of the Oakland City coaching staff. It's a lesson worth passing on to many aspiring young athletes.