Seniors Matas Drevinskas and Shota Lam, Co-captains for Dougherty’s Mens varsity soccer, recently both committed to play for Cal Poly Humboldt’s Division II soccer team. 

A forward for his school and club team, Drevinskas started playing soccer when he was six-years-old.

“My family wanted me to play basketball because back in [Lithuania], basketball was really popular,” Drevinskas said. “But I just saw soccer on TV and picked it up.”

Born in Lithuania, Drevinskas moved to the U.S. five years ago when he was in seventh grade. The transition was difficult, but soccer proved to be a reassuring and supportive factor in his life. 

“Soccer really helped me to make friends and learn [the] new language and experience different cultures,” Drevinskas said. 

Similarly, Lam started soccer at a young age. Born in Davis, California, Lam and his family lived next to former professional soccer player, Jalil Anibaba, who often played soccer with his daughter. Watching him was Lam’s first introduction to the sport, which motivated him to join a club.

“When I was seven, [I played] recreational soccer, [where] we won every game by like 10 goals,” Lam said. “And so that kind of kick started my competitive journey. I went from playing recreational to going on the highest League team.”

At eight years-old, Lam started playing competitive soccer. Eventually he joined a North California State team, NorCal PDP, going to Sweden to play against top professional international teams from Sweden and other countries such as Japan and Senegal. 

“It’s sort of like a community. Even people who aren’t on my team I know [and am] friends with,” Lam said. “Those bonds aren’t made from just hanging out every day at school. I have a couple of friends on the national team that I used to play with back then and it’s really fun to see their journey along with yours.” 

Lam and Drevinskas value the relationships they have built through the sport, being close friends themselves. 

“It’s the long term friendships [that I really enjoy], and soccer just [teaches] you accountability and independence because you [are often] mov[ing] from place to place,” Drevinskas said.

While playing for Lithuania’s soccer teams, Drevinskas has also traveled to many countries such as Finland, Sweden, Poland and Latvia for tournaments, additionally competing in Spain and other states with the U.S. club teams. 

“[Traveling] is probably one of my favorite parts of playing soccer,” Drevinskas said. “Trying new things, new places, because we’re not just traveling to play games, [we can also] go out and sightsee interesting places.” 

The experiences and teams Lam and Drevinskaks have played against while traveling to so many different countries have shaped them into the players they are today. 

Lam’s well-rounded skills allowed him to score two goals this season for DV so far, while also winning the Defensive Player of the Year his sophomore year on varsity. Drevinskas, who scored 12 goals last season–three times the national average–looks forward to an eventful season as starting forward. 

“Having [seen] them grow and mature with the program has been huge, and being able to be a part of the process to help them get to the next level has been fantastic,” Varsity head coach Bijan Sadeghy said. “They both earned it, they’ve both been pivotal parts of the program. We’re gonna miss them.” 

Growing from quiet players when they first entered the program to leaders on the field, both Lam and Drevinskas strived to play soccer at the next level.

With tournaments held in southern California, there are more opportunities for college recruitments with many college coaches attending. Lam, who was introduced to the soccer team at Humboldt first, has attended ID camps, where college coaches often go to scout for players, leading him to receive multiple offers from different schools. 

Though Lam ultimately decided to sign on Humboldt because of its suitability with his planned major, environmental or civil engineering, while also receiving a scholarship for half his tuition. 

‘[It’s like] what they always say [with] student athletes, student comes first,” Lam said, “I [wanted to] balance school and soccer, so I love their coaches and their program [as well as] the campus and school in general.”

Drevinskas made an official visit to Humboldt last year, where he got to meet the coaches and players and explore the campus, committing to the school soon after Lam did.  

“My goal was to play soccer in college and Humboldt was the first [college] that really approached me,” Drevinskas recalled. “I made really good connections with the coaches, and I like the team and the place.”

The two share a close bond, having played together in DV’s varsity soccer team since their sophomore years and at San Ramon FC during the off-seasons. Drevinskas and Lam also plan to room together at Humboldt, sharing an off-campus apartment.  

“It’s a great opportunity as I already have someone that I know living with me and playing soccer,” Lam said, “[He’s] like a brother to me. I’m definitely looking forward to having a player on my team like Matas who I know I can rely on and [play] side by side with.”

This story was originally published on Wildcat Tribune on February 20, 2024.