Andrew Kummerer, SUSC Alumni

Andrew Kummerer  was born in October; prime time of fall soccer season. His parents, Ron and Deb, are long time volunteers of the Spirit family. Ron has coached and trained many teams and Deb was a member of the Board of Directors serving as Secretary for many years. To everyone who knows Andrew’s family, it’s no surprise that on the way home from the hospital with their new born, third son, they stopped at a soccer field. Looking back, you might wonder if that was an omen or maybe even destiny.

Andrew made Gene Walker’s U-9 travel team when he was 7 years old. The next year, he played age appropriate on the U-9 Speedsters coached by Mike Sweet and Ron Kummerer. As the boys grew, the team name changed to Storm. Ron became Head Coach. Along the way, Andrew also played Delco Select for five years.

On September 11th of Andrew’s eighth grade year at Coatesville, Andrew was in a serious car accident on his way to school. He suffered a concussion, a broken jaw that required his mouth to be wired shut, and among other things; a broken femur. After he was released from the hospital, he was home bound until January. Many thought Andrew’s soccer days were a thing of the past. Those who really knew him, his work ethic and determination, knew different. He was back on the field playing in the spring of 1998. A three year varsity starter, Andrew enjoyed many awards including All Chesmont – three years, team MVP – two years, and All Area Team – two years. His favorite high school soccer memory is beating Downingtown at Downingtown on Downingtown’s Senior Night during his junior year.

All too soon, the Kummerer family was involved in the college recruiting process. Andrew chose Elizabethtown. With Andrew settled in at school for preseason, Ron and Deb decided to go to Augusta, GA where Ron was going to play in a big softball tournament. Elizabethtown had a game on the schedule but Andrew was a freshman. There’s no way to know what to expect when the first college game approaches. Ron and Deb felt if Andrew did get to play, he’d probably be eased into the lineup. When they arrived in Augusta, the cell phone rang. It was Andrew and he was going to start. That would be an exciting phone call for any parent to receive. They were very tempted to get back in the car and drive to Rochester, NY to see the game, but they didn’t. That first college game is the only game that Andrew ever played that his parents didn’t see.

Andrew’s rookie year at Elizabethtown was a memorable one. Although Elizabethtown lost to Messiah (National Champion) during the regular season, Elizabethtown went on to beat Messiah for the Conference Championship. Andrew scored the game’s lone goal. He went on to enjoy a very successful college soccer career. In addition to being 2002 Rookie of the Year, he earned several other honors including: four year starter, All Conference Team – four years, All America Regional Team – 2001 and 2002, and Team Captain – 2002.

Awards mean a lot but the determination behind the awards Andrew earned is characteristic of Andrew. Andrew wished his mom happy birthday on her 50th.birthday. He asked her what she’d like for her birthday. There was a game on the schedule that day and Deb told him a goal would be nice. Andrew has played midfield or striker most of his soccer career. At this particular time, he was playing defender. Goals don’t come easily to defenders but sure enough, Andrew scored. It is tradition for the Elizabethtown team to walk to the fans and clap for them after each game. On Deb’s 50th birthday, Andrew kept walking right up onto the bleachers. He picked his mom up and swung her around wishing her a happy birthday. The bond built between children and parents through a game they love is amazing.

Now a college graduate, Andrew works for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He’s also back at Spirit breaking into coaching and training teams. Welcome back Andrew. We’re proud of what you’ve accomplished on and off the field.