February 21, 2024
First Academy-Leesburg Soccer Player Bradford Van Dyken Commits to Webber International University
By Kyle Coppola
First Academy-Leesburg Soccer Player Bradford Van Dyken Commits to Webber International University
Congratulations to Bradford Van Dyken, a senior soccer player at First Academy-Leesburg, who has signed his commitment letter to play for Webber International University, continuing his academic and playing career.
(Bradford Van Dyken stands with his proud parents.)
Van Dyken, the son of FA-Leesburg head soccer coach Scott Van Dyken, who led the Eagles to their first district championship game since 2005, had a terrific year. He scored six goals and led the team in assists with 13 for the season. Van Dyken topped the team in total points with 25, consistently delivering solid performances throughout the season.
(This is a big moment for the school and the soccer program.)
Van Dyken has traveled a long road, experiencing the highs and lows of the FA-Leesburg soccer program, including enduring a winless season not long ago. However, this season marked a turning point as the Eagles finished with a winning 8-7 record, a source of pride for the team.
Notably, Van Dyken and his teammates achieved a significant milestone by guiding FA-Leesburg to their first district championship game in nearly two decades, with the last occurrence in 2005. While the Eagles didn’t secure victory, finishing as runner-up was a considerable accomplishment. They even defeated rival MDCA for the first time in a very long while to earn their spot in the district championship game.
This marks a proud moment for FA-Leesburg, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Van Dyken family. Best wishes to everyone, and we eagerly anticipate watching Bradford excel at the next level!
Photo Credit – First Academy-Leesburg
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
