Being an athlete takes motivation. And Rashawn Dally, a freshman on the men’s soccer team, has it in droves.

“Self-motivated describes Rashawn well,” head coach Eric Da Costa said. “He’s quietly motivated, and there is a steely determination inside of him.”

Dally discovered his love for soccer at a young age—as a 5-year-old boy growing up in Jamaica. The game was simply “kicking the ball in the streets,” and it wasn’t until he came to America at age 12 that he started playing organized soccer.

When Dally was young, his father, Victor, was a well-known Jamaican soccer player. Victor’s teammates called him “Rulla,” because as Dally describes, “he ruled the ball.”

All of Victor’s friends used to watch his son play, so the nickname just rubbed off on Dally as “Rulla Junior.”  

Once Dally moved to America, he became a soccer star in his own right. He played two years of varsity soccer at Bloomfield High School and led his team to a Class S State Championship. Dally earned All-Conference honors in 2012 at Bloomfield, and was also named Bloomfield High Warhawk of the Year for the 2012-13 season.

During Dally’s sophomore year he met a fellow Jamaican, Johann Smith, who became a family friend. Smith suggested Dally transfer to Watkinson School, where Smith had gone to high school and ended up playing for the Bolton Wanderers of England’s Premier League and then the United States U-20 team, scoring four goals.  

Smith became a mentor to Dally. He thought Watkinson would give Dally a better education and a better chance at playing the game in college. Dally took the advice and transferred to Watkinson School.

“His family put him in the position to have every opportunity academically, not only athletically, and to make sure he had those opportunities to thrive,” Da Costa said.

Dally’s soccer career once again took off as he was named Watkinson soccer’s Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season, and the Offensive MVP in the 2014 season.

When Dally was 15, he was invited to the Jamaica U17 National Team Camp. “It was a great honor to be there,” said Dally, who has long dreamt of representing the United States or Jamaica on a national team.

In the summer of 2014, “Rulla Junior” met Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa and played for him with the Connecticut Football Club.

That year, Da Costa and Dally won the National Premier League Championship.  Dally scored a hat trick and the game-winning goal in the semi-finals–a game he calls one of the most memorable of his career. At the finals, his team won 2-1 and Dally notched an assist.

By the next year, his team had won back-to-back Connecticut State Championships. Dally also earned recognition on the Connecticut All-State team for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

That is why Dally followed his coach to Quinnipiac.

“I’ve seen a big change in my game since I’ve started to work with [Da Costa],” Dally said.

Dally put trust in Da Costa and his coaching staff, and is now seeing his hard work pay off.

“My parents and I believe they are great people,” he said.

Two games into his first season playing at the Division I level, Dally scored the Bobcats’ first goal of the season.

“It was a feeling I couldn’t describe,” Dally said. “I remember going at the goalkeeper; I felt like I was in a different world.”   

Da Costa appreciates having a player who stays grounded despite his successes.

“It’s refreshing as a coach to have someone that humble, who’s willing to put in that much work to achieve the goals he sets for himself, or the ones his coaches set for him,” Da Costa said.

Dally often hashtags “self-motivated” on Twitter because he thinks it is one of the best traits a person can have, and it’s how he continues to reach these goals.

“You don’t need anybody to work hard,” Dally said. “That’s something you can always do on your own.” It is this belief that keeps helping him make it to the next level.