Alex Gang has had a breakout season for the Oklahoma City University men’s soccer team in 2009.
Gang, a junior from Seoul, South Korea, ranks in the top 10 nationally with 18 goals on the season after scoring just nine goals in his first two seasons with the team.
“I think the most important reason why I have been able to score more goals this season is that I feel the support and trust from coach [Brian] Harvey and coach [Billy] Martin from the bench,” Gang said about his success this season.
Gang is this week’s Super Star of the Week after scoring three goals in two games last week. Gang scored twice in a 3-0 win over Oklahoma Baptist and added a goal in 1-1 tie against 21st-ranked USAO.
For his efforts, Gang was also named Sooner Athletic Conference player of the week.
Gang attributes much of his success as a soccer player and as a student to his time in Germany. He moved to Germany from South Korea at the age of 13, looking for better competition in soccer.
“Germany is well known for its youth soccer system,” Gang said. “It really helped me to become a soccer player and also to become a better person because I did school and soccer at the same time. I think it did help me to come here and be prepared for my college career.”
Gang stands out on the soccer field because of the No. 62 he wears on his back. Gang said he wears the number in honor of Robert Griffin, Gang’s academic advisor at OCU who was born in the year 1962.
“I promised him before the season that I would score more goals because he promised me to be there at every single game, to show me support, so it kind of worked out I guess,” Gang said.
Gang holds a 3.95 grade-point-average in political science and was named to the CoSIDA ESPN the Magazine college-division academic all-district 6 team for the second year in a row earlier this week.
“My big dream is to attend a law school and continue my education,” Gang said. “I want to give the chance of what I received from coach Harvey and my faculty members to go to OCU. The chance should be given to other Asian players coming from South Korea, and that is one of my fundamental goals that I want to achieve in the future.”
