Gentleman of Verona: All-Area Player of the Year Dowlin puts lessons learned in Italy to great use for Owen J. Roberts

Some players prepare for the fall high school soccer season by upping their training regimen. Practice longer. Run harder.

Bruce Dowlin had his own way.

The fields of Owen J. Roberts would have been fine for preparation for his senior season with the Wildcats. The fields of Verona, Italy, had even greater appeal during a three-week trial with Verona Stars, a feeder club that pools talent from around the globe and operates as a pipeline for players to earn professional contracts.

“We played a team in Austria and they had amazing fans, fans lining the fence for a training game against “amateurs” setting off flares, chanting. Walking out on to the field I got goosebumps,” Dowlin said. “It’s one thing to have a crowd of your peers, but when you have people that don’t know you, are older and they’re paying to watch you play, it’s a surreal moment. ‘Wow, I’m really here.’”

Dowlin got a taste. And he wants more. But first, he brought the wisdom of his worldly experience back to Bucktown.

It resulted in the senior midfielder leading the Wildcats on another successful campaign that saw OJR go 11-2 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season, play in the conference title game and reach the second round of the District 1-AAA playoffs and finish 16-6.

Even with a strong core of returning players from the previous season’s PAC-10 championship team, Dowlin’s creativity and quality was at the center of everything the high-scoring Wildcats did.

His postseason accolades include Pioneer Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, PSCA All-State team, All-Southeastern Pa. Soccer Coaches Association team and Mercury All-Area Player of the Year.

Dowlin’s talent has long been there – he was a starter as a sophomore, an All-Area first team selection as a junior after a six-goal, three-assist season – but his greatest signs of growth came in his progress as a teammate and leader.

“We talked to him about trying to be a leader on and off the field and I think he grew up a lot and into that role,” OJR head coach Eric Wentzel said. “He’s come a long way in his four years as far as leadership goes.”

Dowlin had a turning point of sorts in Europe.

“Coach Wentzel talks about mental toughness a lot. And when I went over to Italy, I thought I had mental toughness but I had the moment with the fans and that put me on a whole different level realizing that you have to block everything out and try to play your game,” Dowlin said. “My mental toughness grew five points on the scale when I was in Italy.”

Dowlin admits he can get overly negative with himself and teammates if things are going well.

“I like to be on the ball and be able to control the game. When I don’t have that opportunity it’s frustrating. I’d get down on myself since I’m my own biggest critic. If I’m not performing at the level I think I should be, it can take me out of my zone.

“But I have my teammates, Brandon Ott, Jared Cooney, Austin Koury, telling me things are fine. Take a deep breath, relax and that’s what it takes sometimes, for a teammate to say we’re OK.”

He was more receptive to that in his final season and his teammates responded in kind.

“Bruce and Jared (fellow captain Jared Cooney) did a great job leading. To get back this year, it was harder because the bullseye was on our back and everybody knew that we had a bunch of players back and we were probably going to be good again. We got everybody’s best shot,” Wentzel said. “But to Bruce and Jared’s credit, they kept everything together and told the team what was going to happen. They got us back to the top, which is a credit to them.”

Dowlin’s quick-thinking, quick-playing approach in the midfield created the attacking identity of the fast-forward Wildcats.

His eight goals and seven assists – second-highest on OJR behind Brandon Ott (15 goals) – aren’t the gaudiest of stats, but his influence was always apparent and opponents knew it.

“Every game we played, and especially in our division, the other team would yell out his number constantly,” Wentzel said. “The attention he drew away from other people was often the most influential thing. If you give him an assist for that he would have had God knows how many assists.”

Also an accomplished player on the club level with Penn Fusion, Dowlin is all about soccer and it shows, according to Wentzel.

“His knowledge of the game – and I’ll count my years as an assistant with (former longtime OJR coach) Dave Rhen when we had all those good teams – might be one of the best I’ve seen in my 14 years at Owen J.,” Wentzel said.

“The way that he’s able to think on his feet, know what to do and where to go with the ball because of how much he’s played and the levels he’s played at, he just knows the right decisions. He has a really high soccer IQ.”

OJR began in fine form this fall with a 5-0 start before running into eventual PIAA quarterfinalist Henderson for a 2-0 defeat.

Hopes were high as the Wildcats went 10-0 to start their PAC-10 slate but ran into back-to-back defeats to Boyertown and Methacton.

After pounding Phoenixville 5-2 in the semifinals, Owen J. got the rematch it so desperately wanted with Boyertown in the PAC-10 championship game.

Dowlin scored in the 48th minute on a strike from distance to level the final 1-1 – he scored in the previous year’s final, too – and the Wildcats were on the front foot for the rest of regulation and two overtimes but couldn’t find the capper. In penalty kicks, the Wildcats faltered while the Bears shined, taking the PK session 4-1.

Proving he learns from experience and can have a sense of humor about past misses, Dowlin isn’t still beating himself up over his looping run and shot that flew over the crossbar.

“I had 2 PKs last weekend in my club showcase. I went the same way, top left and bottom left and I made them both. I changed my whole style,” he said. “That one in the PAC-10s, that one got X-ed off on the chalkboard real quickly.”

Nevertheless, rather than being down in the dumps, the Wildcats came out on fire in their District 1-AAA playoff opener against Penn Wood, hitting for two goals in the first two minutes on the way to a 4-1 victory.

The run ended in the next round against the Whippets, a 2-1 loss to end Dowlin and his classmates’ high school careers.

Now, Dowlin’s focus shifts back to a life-long pursuit.

He has stayed in contact with the staff at Verona Stars – he learned about the program while watching soccer videos on YouTube and was scouted and subsequently invited to train with the club after a tryout in Washington, D.C. last summer – and is determined to return.

“The thing I always look back on about my professional aspirations is when I was 8 years old, I played for Norchester Red Knights (youth football),” he said. “We had a professional football player come in and he asked ‘What do you want to do when you get older?’”

“My hand shot right up. ‘I want to become a professional soccer player.’ And I’m at a football camp!”

“At that time it was just a dream, but now it’s my passion, it’s the only thing I like to do (play soccer), my love and I want to take it as far as I can take it.”