John Sternasty has played soccer his entire life.
From competing on his sister's U5 team as a three-year old to now where he suits up for the Polar Bears as a team captain, soccer has been a constant in Sternasty's life.
But for the Ohio Northern senior, soccer is more than just a sport in which he has excelled. It's a daily release from the rigors of college courses, a physical activity that demands the best of him and an arena that has given him lifelong friends and memories.
High school career
At Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio, soccer is important, very important. The Minutemen have built up a reputation as a state-wide power and the expectation most seasons is to contend for a state championship banner.
To make Revere's varsity soccer roster, one must be a skilled, polished and savvy soccer player. That's what made Sternasty's freshman year so impressive. Not only did the budding star dress for varsity matches, but he played quite a bit, as well.
"A couple guys, four or five of us, made varsity, and that was unheard of," Sternasty said. "… It was a little bit of surprise, but I expected to be on the varsity team. I've always had high expectations for myself."
The Minutemen advanced to the district final in 2012, and with a lion's share of the roster coming back, the expectations were to advance further in 2013.
And that's just what Revere did. With a loaded team, Sternasty and Minutemen marched through the season collecting 20 wins with the final coming in the state title game.
Word about Revere spread fast and to all corners of the state and region. Soon enough, ONU interim head coach Chris Matejka was chatting with Sternasty about the possibility of being a Polar Bear.
"He's a great example of an ONU soccer player," Matejka said. "He puts the team first. He's a natural leader. He wants to win, and I think all those qualities stuck out to me throughout the recruiting process."
Sternasty had his pick from a couple Division I schools to the Ohio Athletic Conference. He ventured out to Ada, enjoyed what he saw and learned about Northern as an academic and athletic institution and made the decision to become a Polar Bear.
Collegiate soccer career
Very similar to his high school days, Sternasty, as a freshman, was entering an ONU team primed for a big year. He made the varsity training pool. Sternasty practiced and game prepped with a team ranked inside the top five nationally.
That allowed a then-freshman to settle in, grow accustom to the speed of collegiate soccer and improve as a player.
"I think it helped me learn the system a little bit better and get more confidence without getting thrown in," Sternasty said.
Sternasty appeared in 20 matches as a sophomore, and going into last season, all signs pointed to a big year for the junior out of northeast Ohio. But that wasn't the case. A couple injuries, the most severe of which was a sprained ankle, forced Sternasty to relinquish his starting spot.
Sternasty pushed through the pain, earned his starting spot back just before conference tournament play and helped the Polar Bears reach the OAC title game.
"No one expected us to get out of the first round," Sternasty said. "We went in, beat Otterbein, played Capital — which had beaten us 6-0 earlier in the season — beat them and took it to John Carroll, forcing PKs."
To this point, that OAC tournament run is Sternasty's favorite memory, but he knows there are plenty to more to make this fall.
Senior year
Being a collegiate athlete is no small task, especially during one's senior year. Classes have progressively become more difficult over the four years and thoughts about the next step creep into the mind.
As a senior pursuing a pharmaceutical and healthcare business degree, Sternasty has a lot on his plate. His day starts early and ends late.
What could prove stressful for many, Sternasty has found balance, and he owes soccer for helping him find that equilibrium.
"I know from 3-6 p.m. that's soccer time," Sternasty said. "I can't be thinking about classes. I can't be thinking about outside relationships with friends or family. That's soccer time, and that helps me."
Soccer time has proven fruitful thus far this season. Sternasty has started all 10 games for the Polar Bears, and many of those starts have seen the senior captain remain in the game for all 90 minutes.
"To be able to play consistently, for a full 90 minutes, is very difficult," Matejka said. "It's challenging mentally and physically, specifically at his position. He's asked to defend some our opponents forwards that challenge him. So for him to be able to play a full 90 is a high mark."
Sternasty is a constant for the Polar Bears out on the pitch. He's a big reason Northern had a streak of five straight shut outs in mid September, the longest such streak since 2012.
Sternasty and the Polar Bears have lofty goals in 2019. They want to reach that OAC title game once again this season, write a different ending and make some noise on the national stage.
That would be a storybook ending for Sternasty who doesn't know where he'd be today without soccer — a sport that has meant so much to him.
