Mark Rajovic is a 15-year-old sophomore who stands just 5-foot-8. You wouldn’t think he would be the starting goalkeeper for one of New York City’s top boys soccer teams.
From his age to his size, there were many reasons to doubt the Westchester native at the season’s outset. But he never gave it a second thought and as a result, his coaches and teammates never worried about him after he earned the job with a sterling preseason.
Rajovic is one of the reasons the Rams are in position to win the CHSAA Class AA Archdiocesan regular season title and are an odds-on favorite to at least reach the city title match at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium.
“For him it’s about communication and feeling confident among a bunch of seniors,” Fordham Prep coach Pete McNamara said. “They all accept him. He’s done very well. … He’s made some very big saves in games we needed him to. He’s got a lot of potential. He’s quick, he’s got good hands. There’s no nervousness about having him in goal.”
Others have taken notice. Rajovic won the NYPost.com poll for New York City’s top boys soccer goalkeeper, beating out such top keepers as Beacon’s Max Brown, Bronx Science’s Marc Choueiri, St. Francis Prep’s Steven Reid and Collegiate’s Will Spencer.
“I was kind of surprised,” said Rajovic, who has played most of the year with a nagging hip flexor injury. “All my friends told me they were voting. I had support from everybody. I was happy to win it.”
He narrowly topped Choueiri by finishing strong with 34,220 votes (38.05%), becoming the second Fordam Prep player – senior Mark Kramarchuk is the other one – to win a NYPost.com poll. The Bronx Science keeper tallied 29,584 (32.89%), Reid was third with 7,716 (8.58%) and Bishop Ford’s Luis Castillo was fourth with 5,924 votes (6.59%).
“I was following it over the weekend,” he said. “My friends kept updating me. I was a little bit nervous – I don’t like to lose.”
Though there would be seem to be pressure on Rajovic at the season’s outset, a sophomore starting on a team full of seniors with high expectations, he said he never felt any. Part of that is his elite level experience with Westchester FC and also his confidence in himself. After an early-season 2-0 shutout of Archbishop Stepinac, his first of six clean sheets thus far, Rajovic said he felt like he belonged.
“He’s a sophomore, but he has confidence like a senior,” senior midfielder Dylan Cope said. “He’s got two more years left. Fordham is lucky to have him.”