Nov. 8, 2010
Notre Dame men’s soccer senior forward Steven Perry is in the midst of his best season for the Irish. The Edmond, Okla., native leads Notre Dame in scoring with 12 goals and three assists for 27 points. This weekend, he leads the 12th-ranked Irish into the BIG EAST semifinals on Friday, Nov. 12 versus top-ranked Louisville at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Coming off last Saturday’s 2-1 BIG EAST quarterfinal win over Marquette at Alumni Stadium, und.com’s Adam Schmitz had a chance to sit down with Perry to find out more about the senior forward and his Notre Dame men’s soccer team.
Who have been your role models growing up? The most influential people in my life have been my parents. They shaped my attitude and helped me grow as a person. They also encouraged me in school and sports.
Why did you choose to attend Notre Dame? I choose to attend Notre Dame because of the academics and athletics here. I also picked Notre Dame because Coach (Bobby) Clark is one of the best coaches in college sports.
Where are you living this year? I live in Irish Crossings.
What has been your favorite class at Notre Dame? My favorite class was Professor Carl Ackerman’s Finance class.
What is your favorite dining hall food? My favorite dining hall food is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
What is your favorite sport to participate in outside of soccer? My favorite sport to play outside of soccer is ping-pong. We have a table in our house.
What are your plans after college? I will graduate in December. I will try to continue to play soccer, either in the MLS or in Europe. If not, then I have no idea.
What is your dream job outside of soccer? I would love to become a Professional Whistler.
What is your favorite team to play with on FIFA ’11? My favorite teams on FIFA are Real Madrid and Chelsea, I go back and forth between them.
Who is your favorite professional athlete? My favorite pro athlete is Michael Thomas, he is playing in Sweden right now and graduated from Notre Dame last year.
What is your pregame routine and meal? My pregame routine is just taking a shower and waking up, nothing special. For our pregame meal, we go to Boss’ house and eat pancakes and fruit.
What is a typical weekday like for you, during the season? During the week, I have classes in the morning and early afternoon, grab lunch and then we practice at 4 p.m. After that I will eat at the training table, go home, play some ping-pong and FIFA and then try to get some homework done.
What is your favorite Coach Clark saying or quote? “Baaaaahhhhhh” or sometimes he ends a drill by saying “Andddddd time,” he will hold the “and” for five or six seconds.
What has been your favorite moment as a player at Notre Dame? My favorite moment as a player was after the Indiana game we sang really loud in the showers and IU could definitely hear us.
What has been your favorite post-goal celebration for the team this year? My favorite post-goal celebration was our first goal against Ohio State with Jeb Brovsky shooting down other players with a bow and arrow.
What is your favorite away stadium to play in and why? My favorite away stadium to play in is Michigan’s new stadium. They had a ton of fans and were singing and chanting the whole game.
What are your goals for the team this year? The team’s goals this year are to win the Big East regular season, Big East tournament and the NCAA championship.
Who is the funniest guy on the team? The funniest guy on the team is definitely not Greg Klazura.
What are your individual goals this year? My individual goals are doing anything I can do to help the team whether it is scoring goals or tracking to play defense. Also, I try to work as hard as I can anytime I am on the field.
What’s your favorite girl’s dorm? My favorite girl’s dorm is Lyons Hall.