A Journey from São Paulo, Brazil to Penn State Mont Alto

This is the second in a series of stories about PSUAC student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have made a difference during their time at Penn State. Enjoy!

By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director, Penn State Mont Alto

MONT ALTO, Pa. – Like many of his friends in Sorocaba, which is a municipality within the state of São Paulo, Brazil the earliest childhood memory for Joao Pedro Patelli Santos was with a soccer ball.

“I’ve been playing soccer for as long as I can remember it’s always been a huge passion,” said Santos, a rising sophomore on the men’s soccer team at Penn State Mont Alto. “I knew there were possibilities for me to play soccer at a University (in the United States), but I didn’t actually try to get recruited until my final year of schooling.”

Joao began his college search by applying to schools along the east coast that had industrial engineering programs and Pennsylvania State University was one of those schools. What he did not know was that Penn State has 24 different campus locations across the commonwealth; 16 of which offer men’s soccer as an intercollegiate sponsored sport.

“I had no idea about the other campuses, I sent Coach Carey a highlight video and he offered great insights of what it would be like here on campus,” said Santos.

Head coach Tim Carey, now in his sixth season at the helm of the men’s soccer program at Penn State Mont Alto, never chased an international recruit but felt comfortable doing so since he is bilingual.

“One day while talking with admissions about other prospects, admissions counselor Eliel Acosta-Solalinde mentioned that a kid from Brazil had applied to Penn State and selected Mont Alto as a secondary option,” reminisced Carey. “After watching his highlights, I was obviously impressed, and I made sure to make that clear. From there we worked over the next few months to get him through the Penn State application process and into the United States.”

Due to the time zone differences it took months of late-night emails from coach Carey to build a relationship with both Joao and his family. The hard work certainly paid off once Joao arrived on campus for New Student Orientation.

“Just being surrounded by farms and trees was a big difference for me,” said Santos. “Where I grew up in Brazil, I’m used to big buildings, noise, traffic and all those vibes.”

“Joao approached me after one of our initial practices last year and I was taken back by his demeanor,” said Carey. “He looked home sick and I initially thought he was on the verge of quitting. In reality he took the time to show how grateful he was for helping him get to Penn State Mont Alto by presenting me with a Brazilian National futbol replica jersey.

His transition to south central Pennsylvania has been aided by his teammates and friends who gravitate towards him due to his humble personality and keen dialect.

“Our kids here don’t get to see the sort of style every day. Just the fluidity and ease of his play, crafty moves, and the ability to raise his game to another level when he's pushed,” added Carey. “He has a big finish and of course, we all love his bicycle kicks.”

“I love the turf field we have on campus, it’s great for pick-up games or even spike ball with friends,” said Santos.

Santos finished off a solid freshman season with 10 points, which included four goals and two assists. He displayed an ability to be clutch with three of his four goals being of the game-winning variety. Him and his teammates have made the most of practices this fall working on touches, pace and other fundamentals.

“I’ve been working on my speed on the field and also my confidence with the ball at my feet,” added Santos. “Sometimes last season I would get rid of the ball to not mess up play, but what we’ve been working on is teaching myself to slow down and use the ball a bit longer to bate opponents in order to actually make a great play.”

Penn State Mont Alto finished the 2019 with a 10-8-1 record, the programs most wins since the 2010 season. The Lions lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in the PSUAC Quarterfinals to Penn State Lehigh Valley, but the memory of that loss remains fresh for Santos.

“For the spring season I’m hoping for a championship,” said Santos. “I know that’s aiming high for a team that has only made the playoffs twice, but I have confidence in my teammates that we will make the most out of the work we’ve put in over the summer and now fall semester. Also, if I make it to first team all-conference, I’ll be happy.”

In the meantime, he has grown accustomed to a Pennsylvania staple off the playing field, Sheetz.

“One of my favorite things to do outside of soccer are those late-night drives to Sheetz, the food always hits the spot.”