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Conestoga’s Costin stands out amid area’s best

Daily Local News Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year

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Conestoga's Brady Costin is the boys  soccer player of the year. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY LOCAL NEWS)
Conestoga’s Brady Costin is the boys soccer player of the year. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY LOCAL NEWS)

By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
TREDYFFRIN >> In the midst of outstanding teammates, competing in a great league and district, and among all of the premier players across the state and nation, Brady Costin stands out.
And in a game like soccer, where most of the attention goes to the goal scorers, Costin’s position is center back in the heart of the defensive zone. And yet, the Conestoga senior still managed to set himself apart from all of those high-scoring strikers and midfielders.
“The accolades typically go to attacking players or midfielders,” said ’Stoga head coach Dave Zimmerman. “It’s pretty rare that a defender gets such recognition.
“One of the reasons is Brady’s offensive capabilities. That kind of production from a center back is extremely rare. Maybe from an outside back, because they can get up into the attack, but not a center back.”
During the 2023 season – in which the Pioneers went 24-0-1 and won league, district and state titles – Costin was a lock-down defender who also added six goals and 13 assists. As a result, he was named the Central League MVP, and earned All-Southeastern Pennsylvania and All-State honors. In addition, he was the tabbed Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Coaches Association, and is on the All-American Team recently released by the United Soccer Coaches.
And now you can add Daily Local News Player of the Year to the list.
“It is awesome for me and the program for the recognition I’m getting,” said Costin, who lives in Wayne. “You see the attackers score the goals and get all the credit, so it’s nice to see that flipped.
“But none of it would have been possible without my coaches and teammates, and my parents taking me to and from everything and supporting me.”
The plaudits are weighty, but what Costin did in 2023 is no less impressive. He was the linchpin of a defense that surrendered just nine goals in 25 outings, and more than half of those were while he was not on the field because ’Stoga was up big and substituted for him. And here is a mind-boggler: opponents managed just a single goal in the run of play.
“Costin covered up any mistakes Conestoga made,” said West Chester Henderson head coach Chas Wilson.
“The number of goals that were scored while he was on the field in the run of play – not on set pieces but when you are actively defending a team that is trying to attack you – is the better measure of the kind of defender he is,” Zimmerman added.
Nearly 6-foot-2 with long legs, he was regularly a disruptive obstacle for every opposing attack. When asked to pinpoint the reasons why, Costin talked about anticipating and reacting quickly with force.
“I have good recovery speed and I read the game pretty well,” he said. “I am a big part of our defense, but there are five of us back there and they’ve all been incredible.”
Zimmerman added: “He’s got long legs, so he’s very good at picking the pocket of attackers. And even when it looks like he’s beaten, I don’t know how he does it, but he can recover.
“His hand-foot coordination is very good, and he has skills he doesn’t get to show very much. You don’t expect a center back to dribble and take guys on, but he can do that too.”
What Costin did this fall was the culmination of an outstanding four-year career. He started them all since 2020, and Conestoga amassed a record of 83-4-1, and two state crowns, in that span. That is a winning percentage of .948.
“That’s ridiculous,” Zimmerman said.
“That’s definitely an unreal stat, but it’s not possible without 10 teammates,” Costin added.
It is, without question, the most successful career in the program’s storied history. And much of his senior year Costin dealt with a chipped bone in his right foot.
“He was in a lot of pain and played through it,” Zimmerman pointed out. “Toward the end of the season, he wasn’t practicing that much because we were trying to limit his exposure.”
And in the midst of all of the success and accomplishments, we haven’t even mentioned the one ultra-rare and uber-valuable asset Costin brought to his team on direct kicks and corner kicks.
“His ability to serve a ball is really uncanny,” Zimmerman said. “He is, by far, the best that I’ve coached. His ability to place a ball in a spot is such a valuable weapon.”
So valuable, in fact, that Conestoga’s recipe for success was centered around two things – defense and set pieces – that Costin spearheaded.

Conestoga's Brady Costin (27) and teammate ole Wintersteen
Conestoga’s Brady Costin (left) and teammate Cole Frederick are presented the PIAA 4A State Championship Trophy. Photo by Tom Silknitter.  

“Brady would be a good attacking player,” Zimmerman said. “He is very dangerous with the ball at his feet. He is just an all-around skilled player, but we chose to put him in the back because we build our team around defense and set pieces. And if you think about it, he is at the heart of our defense, and is responsible for a large portion of our set pieces.
“He is right in the middle of our whole strategy for winning.”
It’s a role that Costin started doing for ’Stoga as a sophomore. Before every practice he takes 30-40 corner kicks, and it has become an ever-increasing weapon.
“Being able to serve balls in the box and know you have a chance to get on the scoresheet from time to time is so much fun for me,” he said.
“It’s all about recognition and working on my technique. I will use a different technique depending on where (a direct kick) is on the field. From far away I will put some spin on it, but from up closer I will try to curl it a little bit.”
Costin forever cemented his expertise on corners in the PIAA Class 4A State Championship Game when he scored off a corner kick to tie the game against Central Bucks South late in the second half. The Pioneers then won it in overtime.
“I can’t say the goal I scored in the final was 100-percent intentional, but I wanted to put it in the back post spot,” he said. “And when you work on something enough, things like that can happen.”
And on a high school roster filled with standouts, Costin was never overshadowed. In fact, he was named a team captain for both his junior and senior seasons.
“We had several players you could make an argument as the best player on the team,” Zimmerman acknowledged. “But that’s where some of the intangibles come in. Brady says and goes the right things, works incredibly hard and sets the right example. It’s everything you would want in a leader.
“I have a list of characteristics you’d like to see in a captain, and he basically checks all of the boxes. That’s extremely rare.”
Costin started playing soccer at the age of seven. He loved it immediately, but never even dreamed that he’d be headed to the University of Delaware on an athletic scholarship a little over a decade later.
“My brother Colin and my dad (Joe) played, so I really grew up around soccer,” he said. “Before high school I never really thought about playing in college. I just loved the sport.”
Zimmerman added: “He’s as good a college recruit as we’ve had for a long time. He has all of the tools you would want if you’re a college coach.”