Nick Kolarac (born May 10, 1992) is a professional American soccer player who plays for Steel City in the National Premier Soccer League. He played in two different professional leagues in the United States including the USL and MASL. Kolarac also played in the top 2 development leagues in the America the PDL and NPSL.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 10, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Steel City | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Century United | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2014 | Saint Francis Red Flash | 75 | (20) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013 | IMG Academy Bradenton | 12 | (1) |
| 2014 | Michigan Bucks | 17 | (3) |
| 2014 | Philadelphia Fury | 10 | (6) |
| 2015–2016 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 13 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | St. Louis Ambush (indoor) | 9 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Fort Pitt Regiment | 21 | (5) |
| 2019– | Steel City[a] | 54 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3:48, May 29th 2023 (EST) | |||
Career
editCollege and semi-professional
editKolarac was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Imperial, Pennsylvania. He played high school soccer for West Allegheny Senior High School and according to ESPN Rise he led the nation in assists with 39 his senior year 2010. Kolarac played for the Red Flash of Saint Francis University from 2010 to 2013. He appeared in 75 matches, tallying 20 goals and 14 assists over that time.[1] While in college, Kolarac also played for the IMG Academy Bradenton of the Premier Development League in 2013, making 12 appearances.[2] In 2014, he made 17 appearances and scored 3 goals for the Michigan Bucks of the PDL also.[3] The Bucks would go on to win the PDL championship that season.[4]
Professional
editIn 2014 following his college career, Kolarac trialed with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer and was offered a contract by UMF Tindastóll of the 1. deild karla, the second division of football in Iceland.[5] After playing for the Michigan Bucks, Kolarac signed with the Philadelphia Fury on August 10, 2014.[6] Kolarac was the leading point scorer for the Philadelphia Fury and was the only player to start all 10 matches. It was announced on March 12, 2015, that Kolarac signed for his hometown club, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL.[4] On January 11, 2017, Kolarac agreed to terms with the St. Louis Ambush (2013–) of the MASL. Kolarac went on to score his first professional indoor goal in his debut against the Florida Tropics[7] It was announced on April 25, 2017, that Kolarac signed with Fort Pitt Regiment after the 16–17 Ambush season.[8] That season Kolarac was a staple in the midfield for the club starting 10 out of 10 matches as well as being the leading point scorer on the team with 3 goals and 3 assists. Kolarac resigned with the Fort Pitt Regiment on May 1 for the 2018 season he was also named team captain for the squad. Kolarac played a crucial part in the 2018 season for Fort Pitt. He had 10 appearances for the club while also notching NPSL All Conference XI for the East Conference and led them to there first winning record since 2014.[9] On March 26, 2019, Kolarac became the first signing in the history of the Pittsburgh Hotspurs. The club announced they were signing the veteran midfielder for the 2019 NPSL season.[10] Kolarac led the Hotspurs to their first playoff berth in club history in 2021 with a 8–2 overall record in the Rustbelt conference. Kolarac had 3 goals and 4 assists on the season. Kolarac was selected to the 2021 all conference XI, and also won Goal of the season for the NPSL.
Honors
edit- PDL Champion: 2014[4]
- All-NEC First Team: 2013[1]
- All-NEC Second Team: 2012[1]
- NSCAA All-North Atlantic Region: 2012, 2013[1]
- Led country in assists senior year high school 2009 with 39 assists[1]
- Captain for Fort Pitt Regiment 2016–2018
- NPSL All East Conference XI Midfield selection 2017
- NPSL All East Conference XI Midfield selection 2018
- Named Captain of the Pittsburgh Hotspurs 2019-
- NPSL All East Conference XI Midfield selection 2019
- NPSL 2020 Members Cup Champion
- NPSL All Rust Belt Conference XI Forward selection 2021 (4th consecutive year)
- NPSL Goal of the season award
Notes
edit- ^ The team's name was changed from Pittsburgh Hotspurs to Steel City in February 2023.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "SFU Profile". Saint Francis University. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "2013 Stats". USL PDL. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "2014 Stats". USL PDL. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ a b c "Riverhounds Sign Pittsburgh Native Kolarac". USL. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "LinkedIn Profile". Nick Kolarac. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Kolarac signs with Philadelphia Fury". Saint Francis Red Flash. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 16 Feb 2017.
- ^ "Tropics Triumph over Ambush". St. Louis Ambush. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 Feb 2017.
- ^ "Former Hounds on Board with Regiment". Retrieved 25 Jan 2018.
- ^ "Fort Pitt Pair Make Conference XI". Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ^ "Spurs sign Kolarac". 26 March 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.