Patrick Osilaja

A steadfast defender, midfielder and two-year Varsity player at ETHS, Patrick Osilaja is lending his soccer skills to Eastern Illinois University after graduation. 

“My decision process was not easy,” Osilaja wrote in an email about his college choice. “[I] played at a ton of ID camps/tournaments for attention from coaches which eventually gave me opportunities to play at the next level. I talked with different coaches and went on multiple visits, but EIU had a place in my heart.”

Osilaja plans to major in construction management and is excited to continue creating connections through sports. 

After beginning on a local soccer team at just three years old, Osilaja played for Team Evanston, FC United, and Chicago Fire Juniors before landing on Chicago Stars Academy (CSFC) in his last year of club soccer. CSFC is a European-style academy program in northern Chicagoland.

Though he is excited for new opportunities with his team at EIU, Osilaja says he will miss the camaraderie of Kits, especially his friendships with teammates.

“My favorite memory from my high school soccer career was getting my head shaved for making varsity and then the next year shaving my new teammates heads,” he wrote. “I also really enjoyed the Iowa tournament. We all became really close on this trip and built our chemistry.”

One of 14 seniors to graduate off the boys soccer team this year, Osilaja brings talents to the Division l field that will be sorely missed at ETHS. As he enters college, he anticipates even more growth.

“I’m most looking forward to traveling across the country to play soccer and to create the same brotherhood with my teammates just like I had in Evanston.”