On April 25, senior Henry Iannuzzi, an attacking right wing for the boys soccer team, announced his commitment to play soccer at Rowan University via Instagram.
The Profs are a Division III program which competes in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Rowan University, located in Glassboro, NJ, has a total of 15,000 undergraduate students, according to usnewsandworldreport.com.
Iannuzzi has wanted to play soccer at either the collegiate or professional level since he was a little kid and playing in college became possible with each passing year. Also, seeing older teammates go onto college boosted this idea, “I had a lot of teammates from my sophomore year who went on to play college soccer and I knew I was just as good as them,” said Iannuzzi.
Playing varsity for three years at WHS fueled Iannuzzi’s confidence. “I got a lot more confident in my ability to play against guys who are bigger or more athletic than me,” Iannuzzi said. “ I was able to play my game no matter what.”
Iannuzzi’s progress was seen and recognized by his coaches and teammates alike. Head coach Eric Shaw said, “He matured both physically and mentally, really evolving into a complete attacking player. His confidence, decision-making, and leadership all took major steps forward this year.”
Iannuzzi’s passion for the game was also valued by the team. Junior teammate Sam Judka said, “While [Iannuzzi] contributes goals to the team, his personality and love for the game inspires everyone.”
While soccer games can vary in score, the Blue Devils always counted on Iannuzzi’s consistency in regards to scoring. “[Iannuzzi] was our leading goal scorer with 17 goals and also tied for the team lead with 9 assists. He delivered in clutch moments with big-time goals in important games. His production in the attacking third was a huge part of our success this season,” said Shaw.
The success behind Iannuzzi’s 17 goals was credited to his accuracy with his left foot “[Iannuzzi’s] left foot is one of his greatest assets—it’s deadly. He can strike the ball with pace and precision, whether he’s shooting or serving dangerous balls into the box. He has a calmness in the final third that allows him to capitalize on chances and create opportunities for others,” Shaw said.
Off the field, Iannuzzi was there for his teammates, “[Iannuzzi] was someone who was a great teammate and always there for me when I needed a boost of encouragement, but was also always happy to be on the field,” said Judka.
While he was the top scorer this past season, Iannuzzi also looks to increase team assist numbers. “We always pushed each other through the season to score more and assist more,” Judka said.
Looking back at his WHS career, Iannuzzi said, “The most memorable was definitely the first time I played Scotch Plains.” That overtime golden goal has stuck with Iannuzzi for years now. “The reception I had after where people would come up to me and be like, ‘Bro that goal was sick,’ for a week straight,” Iannuzzi said. “It was cool to see how much the town knew about it.”
With many memorable moments in his WHS career Iannuzzi now turns to the next step in his career. “We are excited to see him compete at the next level,” Shaw said.
