For URI men’s soccer junior Chae Brangman, transitions have never been an issue. He just wants to play soccer.
Brangman, a native of St. Georges, Bermuda, has been all over New England in the past couple of years for the love of the sport.
“The transition was pretty smooth, because this is what I want,” Brangman said regarding his move to the United States from Bermuda. “I want to play soccer. I’m open to go wherever it may take me.”
Brangman has been moving around for soccer since he came to the states. He was all-league and all-New England in 2013 for Wilbraham and Monson Academy, where he went to high school in central Massachusetts. In the winter of 2013-14, Brangman also received a trial invite from the Stoke City Premier League Team in England.
The following year, Brangman would go on to be named rookie of the year for the Northeast-10 Conference while playing at Southern Connecticut State University. He played at SCSU for two years, being named to the all-conference team each year. In 2015 and 2016, Brangman was called in to Bermuda’s senior national team training camp.
Stepping into his first year at URI, the 6 foot, 2 inch Bermudan has performed at an extremely high level. Brangman scored the game winning goal in two straight wins for the Rams, both 2-1 victories over Boston College and George Washington. These goals got Brangman recognized as the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week and earned him a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. In the Rams latest victory, a 1-0 win over La Salle in double overtime, Brangman assisted on the lone goal of the game.
“If you get that one opportunity, you’ve got to take advantage of it and bury it, and that’s what I did to help my team,” Brangman said. “It feels good, you know, getting that accolade, that achievement. It’s obviously going to play some role in me trying to get to the next level, and I really thank my team for helping me.”
For Brangman, he hopes to go on to the next level and play soccer professionally and he said his time at URI is preparing him well for that. His focus and hard-work are the two things he sees bringing him to the next level after college.
“If believe I can do something, then I go ahead and do it,” Brangman said. “Getting on the field you have a role to play, and that’s what I try to do game in and game out.”
Ram head coach Gareth Elliott is not too surprised with the immediate success of his new forward. Brangman came to Rhode Island last spring, and has met the expectations the coaching staff had for him.
“I’m not going to say he’s exceeded expectations, because we had high expectations for him coming here,” Elliott said. “He’s shown that he’s capable of handling Division I soccer and scoring goals at that level.”
Brangman is currently tied with Stavros Zarakostas in goals scored for the team with five, but Elliott said he’s impressed by more than just field performance.
“One thing that’s underestimated about him is his personality,” Elliott said. “He’s the sort of guy that can get along with anybody. I don’t know who his friends are on the team but it seems to be everybody. That sort of personality he has is contagious.”
Brangman and the Rams look to continue their strong play when they head down to North Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 14 to take on A-10 rival Davidson College. They are currently 3-0 in games against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.