Indian River High School senior Peter Mais has always shown impressive poise on the soccer field, ever since he donned a River Soccer Club jersey at a considerably young age, and now he has the opportunity to better his skills, committing to West Chester University this fall.

Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Peter Mais, signs his letter of intent with West Chester University alongside parents Robert and Rebecca and brother Brent.

The defensive midfielder has been a staple of the Indian River program, and like older brother Brant – an IR alum who turned his soccer passion into a career as assistant coach of the IR varsity squad – Peter Mais will be able to take the next step at the collegiate level.

“I always wanted to play in college,” Mais said on Tuesday. “It was a sport I knew I liked enough to play at the next level. I just never knew at what level it would be. I wanted to follow along with my brother. I watched it happen before me and always pushed myself to do better.” His brother enrolled at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., but Mais settled on the Division II Pennsylvania college, which he hopes will bring a promising career.

“I looked at a few other programs,” he said, “like Virginia Wesleyan and UNCW, but I had a really good chemistry with coach [at WCU]. I think it will be a better fit. If I was at a Division I school, there’s a good chance that I might not play as much as I would at a school like West Chester.”

Idolizing his brother, five year his elder, Mais recalls watching him play in tournaments and traveling with the family, even when he was too young to lace up his own cleats. Now, he’s taking the next step, in hopes of fulfilling his dream of starting in a college game.

“Both of our sons have really broken ground,” said their mother, Rebecca Mais. “We’re very proud of them. They both love the game and play because they want to. It’s great to have them grow up and take their playing to the next level and have soccer be so instrumental in their lives.

“It’s very exciting to see it come as far as it has,” she added. “Soccer keeps them busy, and they’ve both excelled with academics, too. Brant had a great experience with soccer in college, and I’m sure Peter will, too.”

Only one man has watched Mais and his brother develop almost as long as their parents have: coach Steve Kilby, who helped instruct Peter Mais on a youth team for the River Soccer Club and at the varsity level at Indian River.

“It’s rewarding to see someone like Peter start out as a young guy and get where he is today,” Kilby said. “It’s great to see him go off to college with a really good program. Club soccer is the foundation for anyone to be successful in the sport. It gives high-school kids an outlet during the off-season to play. It gives young kids the right competition and preparation for when they do get to college, and it feeds onto the next level.”
Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Sarah Purdum recently signed a letter of intent with the University of Maryland Baltimore College.
Last week, another Indian River senior, Sarah Purdum, declared her next step with soccer in college, when she announced her commitment to the University of Maryland Baltimore College (UMBC). It was the first time in recent years that a female athlete from IR had earned a scholarship do a Division I school. Kilby also coached Purdum in high school and prior.

Indian River athletic director Todd Fuhrmann said he is proud to have such talent step off the field in recent years.

“It’s a huge boost for our program,” he said. “We don’t have many kids who go to that level, and we’re getting more athletes to get that opportunity. It gives our younger kids a goal and something to strive for. It just goes to show you how making that extra effort and putting the time in can be rewarding.”