By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

BOONVILLE — Starmount soccer coach Dale Draughn saw something special in Mauricio Lopez when he stepped onto the field for his first game as a freshman.

“I told him, ‘You can play with anyone, just play your game,’” Draughn remembered.

Over the next four years Lopez’s game dazzled fans, helped the Rams win their first ever conference championship in soccer and put his name into the school recordbooks. It also earned him a chance to continue his soccer career at the collegiate level.

Lopez recently signed a letter of intent to play for Belmont Abbey in Charlotte in 2009-10. Belmont Abbey competes at the NCAA Division II level in a conference with schools like Pfeiffer, Lees-McRae, Queens and Barton.

Lopez becomes the fourth boys soccer alum to sign with a collegiate program in the past two years. Ethan Sloan (Southern Wesleyan), Tyler Miller (Queens University) and Ryan Hoilman (Wingate) graduated from Starmount in 2008.

“I think it is a good fit for Mauricio,” Draughn said. “I am proud of him and the other three young men that have gone on to play soccer from Starmount. If everything works out I will be able to go and watch three of them play when their respective teams play each other because they are in the same conference.”

Lopez finished his prep career as Starmount’s all-time leading scorer with 76 goals. He also tied Justin Shores for most career assists (27).

Even though Forbush won the Mountain Valley 2A Conference in fall 2008, Lopez was voted Player of the Year. He was certainly a game-changer.

Belmont Abbey got on Lopez’s recruiting trail after watching him play with his club team, the Winston-Salem Twins, in 2007-08. They returned this past season, still liking what they saw. When Lopez looked deeper at Belmont Abbey, the feeling was mutual.

“I want to major in business or accounting, and Charlotte is really good for business,” he said. “Their soccer program is my style, and they’ve got real good coaches. I think I’m a good team player. I can score and I can pass. I like to be unselfish.”

Of the 76 goals that Lopez scored in his career, one stands out the most, he said. He had already earned a hat trick against Surry Central this past fall, but the contest was still tied. Despite playing hurt, Lopez went back onto the field and booted goal No. 4 with less than two minutes to play. That turned out to be the game-clincher.

“Michael Prigmore passed it up to me to the right, and I hit it to the left post,” Lopez said. “Then I ran around the track (to celebrate). I ran maybe a quarter of the track and got in trouble for that,” he said with a grin.

Lopez said his goal is to play and contribute as a freshman at Belmont Abbey, just as he did at Starmount.

He is the son of Pedro and Kelly Lopez.

Lopez credits his dad for teaching him to be confident and unafraid on the field.

“Mauricio Lopez can be described in one word and that is dedicated,” Draughn said. “Mauricio is the one of the most well rounded players that I have coached. He has continued to improve from year to year and work on his game.

“He always is in the right place at the right time either to score again or assist another player in scoring a goal. He will make things happen.”