By Jennifer Toland

Two summers ago, Holy Cross junior soccer forward Arno Rupp landed at Logan Airport, some 4,000 miles from his home in Wolfsberg, Austria, with two suitcases full of clothes and a passion to pursue his dream of being a Division 1 student-athlete in the United States.

“In Europe, that's not possible,” he said. “You either have to go professional or go to college.”

A visit to California when he was 15 and a casual conversation with his host family there got Rupp, who played for a high-level youth academy in Austria, thinking about continuing his education and playing soccer in college. As a high school junior, he began the arduous process of finding a school and program. He researched thousands of U.S. colleges online, called hundreds of coaches and explored numerous scholarship opportunities.

“I had no clue about anything,” Rupp said. “There was no one I could ask for help. I had no clue about the common application or writing essays. It was overwhelming, but with my parents' support, it definitely paid off. Holy Cross did a great job pursuing me as a prospective player, and I'm glad it worked out. I'm definitely glad I decided to come here.”

Rupp has also become friends with sophomore midfielder Andj Seslija of the Holy Cross women's soccer team. Like Rupp, Seslija also grew up in Europe. She is from Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

“We talk about school and soccer,” Seslija said. “Our countries are near each other, and we both love skiing, so we have a lot in common.”

Rupp was a member of the Austrian youth national ski team.

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