This offseason the Scarlet Knights men’s soccer program added a key contributor to the team via transfer. Rutgers added goalkeeper Kevin Silva out of UCLA back in early January.

Silva was 12th in the nation last season and led the Pac-12 conference in saves.

The Knight Report spoke with the newest member of the team to discuss why he left UCLA after being so successful and how he ended up at Rutgers.

“Well I left UCLA to for a new opportunity and find place that pushed me to my full potential,” Silva told TKR. “Don’t get me wrong UCLA is a great school with an awesome soccer program but after talking to my head coach back at UCLA, we thought it was best for me to get the training I needed to help me reach my goals.”

The Pennsylvania native went on to talk about how he ended up choosing Rutgers and coming back closer to home.

“After talking with my club coach back at PDA in Pennsylvania, we found Rutgers to be my best fit,” said Silva. “It offers great training, especially for my position and plays in one of the best conferences. I also know the coaches from when I was younger and I knew they’ll have my best interest as a person and a as a soccer player.”

“It feels great to be close to home,” Silva said. “I feel more at home at Rutgers. Only an hour to get back to my home in PA and it makes it easier to have my family and friends come to my games in the season.”

The Scarlet Knights look to now have their starting goalkeeper for the next couple of years as Silva will be eligible to compete this upcoming fall.

“I’ll be all ready to go this Fall,” mentioned Silva. “I have two years of eligibility remaining.”

Along with playing for UCLA and now Rutgers, Silva has also played for some of the United States National Youth Teams a couple of time, playing for both the U17 and U19 teams.

“I’ve played with a couple of US National youth teams,” Silva mentioned. “The experiences were always amazing. It’s awesome being around the best kids in the country in such a high level environment. On top of that it’s always an honor and blessing to represent your country.”

Stay tuned as will have more coverage from the Rutgers Men’s Soccer program this upcoming season!