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Daniel O'Brien

Men's Soccer Athletics Communications

Alumni Spotlight: Daniel O'Brien

Today we continue our Alumni Spotlight series with former Hatter Daniel O'Brien. O'Brien is a 2018 Stetson University graduate and was a four-year member of the men's program 
 
            DeLand, Fla. – Daniel O'Brien was born and raised in Virginia Water, England. He moved to Florida in 2012 and graduated from Windermere Prep in Windermere, Fla. He played for Orlando City DA and was set on playing soccer at the collegiate level, at a school that would challenge him on and off the pitch. 

            Growing up in England meant football was at the forefront of every child's mind. It was no different for O'Brien. "Growing up in England, I started playing soccer as soon as I could walk," the former Hatter said. "My whole family is soccer crazy, so I didn't really have a choice," he added with a good laugh. 
 
            O'Brien is a Chelsea FC fan through and through. "I am a Chelsea fan born and raised! I still have season tickets." While growing up, O'Brien enjoyed watching Didier Drogba and one of Chelsea's most highly regarded players of all-time, Frank Lampard. Now that they are retired, O'Brien has moved on to the next generation of English Premier League footballers with his new favorite player being Mason Mount. 
 
            The English-born O'Brien knew he wanted to pursue soccer at the next level. He wanted to find a school that was competitive on the pitch and in the classroom. "It was important for me to find a program that wanted to be competitive [on the field] as well on the academic side. Stetson ticked both those boxes." 
 
            Being a student-athlete might be one of the hardest tasks in life. It is two full-time jobs that go hand-and-hand. Without one, some might not have the other. Student athletes make lots of sacrifices to excel at the sport they love. For O'Brien, the rewards justified the sacrifices. "The hardest part was having to sacrifice," the 2018 graduate remarked. "You have training for hours, and then class, and then you must get rest to do it all again the next day, while others were out partying." O'Brien was never worried about partying. "The best part is the reward. Nothing is better than scoring a goal at home or beating your conference rivals which comes from the hard work you put in day in and day out." 
 
            The hard work O'Brien and his Hatters teammates put in culminated into one of O'Brien's favorite memories from his time as a Stetson men's soccer player. In the 2018 ASUN Tournament semifinal, the Hatters played FGCU to a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of action and forced two overtimes. When the extra 20 minutes could not determine a winner, a penalty shootout was needed. O'Brien took Stetson's first shot of the shootout and netted it. The Hatters came away with the victory and upset the Eagles to advance to the ASUN title match. "The penalty shootout came after a two-hour rain delay," O'Brien recalled. "That was a great bus ride home!"
 
            Upon graduating from Stetson, O'Brien was playing football abroad, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he had to return to his family in Orlando. "Stetson prepared me for the workforce because of the culture they instilled in me. No matter the situation, I was going to make the best out of it. The competitive nature that was taught day in and day out at Stetson made it easy for me to find a job and work my way up the ladder," O'Brien continued. 
 
            When asked what advice he would give to current and future Hatters, O'Brien said, "Leave the program in a better place than you found it." 
 
            O'Brien graduated in 2018 with a degree in international business and currently works for Techtronic Industries (TTI) in West Orlando where he is a territory manager.
 
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