Brian Bautista: A steady newcomer and fresh look
By Sam Britton, Sports Reporter
Brian Bautista is a freshman midfielder from Chicago, Ill., and while he has not been at Canisius for too long, he still says it has been a great experience. He is one of three first–year midfielders who have started six or more games this year, alongside Lorenzo Tuch and Brayden Zavala–Lopez.
While he has not netted any goals or had any assists, he has been a mainstay for the Griffs as of late, playing more than 45 minutes in six of the last eight games. He credits one game in particular as the turning point: “Tanke put me in the Bonnies game, and I felt like I gave it my all, and after that I just started getting minutes.”
Bautista’s background is all soccer. He started playing when he was three years old, and while he has played all around the country, he credits his dad for always being there for him. “He’s been a great mentor, just guiding me through everything, sacrificing, working for me,” said Bautista.
After playing through his youth locally, he began to play for the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire’s youth team before spending time with Sockers FC, an MLS Next club. He then moved to Arizona to play for another MLS next club, Barça Academy.
Coming to Main Street was an easy choice for Bautista. “The way Tanke explained things, the way the team plays, the visions he had for the team just pushed me to choose Canisius,” he said.
Now that he is here, he has said he has loved his time at Canisius. “The best part has been meeting new people. The staff, the people in the library, the professors, the people on the team and outside.” He credits one particular teammate for really helping him adjust to his freshman year: “A big mentor here is my teammate Glodie Mata, he’s a graduate student. Just coming in, he’s made me feel welcome. He helps me out in trainings. It’s been great having him as a teammate.”
The Blue and Gold only have two games left in the regular season. They travel to Merrimack this Saturday before finishing off the year at home against Niagara on Wednesday.
“It’s my first year and all, but hearing from teammates it’s a good rivalry. You can feel it in the locker room,” Bautista said about the Niagara game.
As for Merrimack, all the chips are on the table for the Griffs. They are 1–12–1 on the year, and are still looking for their first conference win against the 4–2–9 Warriors. “We really have no pressure, and we’ve been playing good, so I feel like that’s gonna help us just have fun,” said Bautista.
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