Austin William Aviza (born February 17, 1997) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Early life

Born in

Medway, Massachusetts Medway is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The town had a population of 13,115 at the 2020 census. History Medway (originally Midway) was first settled in 1657 and was officially incorporated i ...

, Aviza started his prep career at Medway High School and earned the Tri-Valley League rookie of the year award. A member of the New England Revolution Academy U16 team at the time, Aviza was invited to be part of the senior team's preseason training camp held in Tucson, Arizona, in February 2014.

College

Aviza began his

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

career in 2015 at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, starting the first nine matches of the 2015 season for Syracuse Orange after

Alex Bono Alexander Nicholas Bono (born April 25, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club D.C. United. College career Born and raised in Baldwinsville, New York, Bono attended high scho ...

had left school early to be drafted in 2015 and sophomore backup Hendrik Hilpert picked up an injury in preseason. Aviza recorded three shutouts before Hilpert returned to fitness and claimed the starting job with Aviza failing to make another appearance during his two years at Syracuse. In January 2017, Aviza transferred to the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

but did not see playing time in the 2017 season. In 2018 he appeared in 14 games for the

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

, registering five shutouts and even tallied an assist on the 88th game-winner in UConn's 2–1 win over

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

on October 20. In 2019, Aviza again transferred, this time to

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

where he began working towards a master's degree in economics while also completing his final year of NCAA eligibility. Aviza kept 11 shutouts in 23 appearances for

Providence Friars The Providence Friars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island. They compete in the Big East Conference (NCAA Division I) for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compet ...

, helping his team reach the third round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament before losing to #2 ranked Clemson in overtime.

Club career

Orlando City B

Aviza was selected in the second round (44th overall) of the

2020 MLS SuperDraft The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was the 21st edition of the MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first SuperDraft held exclusively via conference call and web streaming. The first two rounds of the 2020 ...

by Orlando City. In March 2020, he signed a professional contract with Orlando City B, the team's USL League One affiliate. On August 1, 2020, he made his debut in the season opener against

Tormenta FC South Georgia Tormenta FC is an American soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, as well as a pre-prof ...

, losing 2–0 but making seven saves and winning the save of the week award. He kept his first shutout for the club the following week in a 2–0 victory over

New England Revolution II New England Revolution II is a professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the MLS Next Pro, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer c ...

. He made eleven appearances before being released at the end of the season.

Richmond Kickers

On February 15, 2021, Aviza joined USL League One side

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

International

In 2013, Aviza was called up to the United States under-17 and United States under-18 national teams.

References

External links

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Providence profileUConn profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviza, Austin 1997 births Living people People from Medway, Massachusetts Soccer players from Massachusetts Men's association football goalkeepers American men's soccer players Orlando City SC draft picks Orlando City B players Richmond Kickers players USL League One players Syracuse Orange men's soccer players UConn Huskies men's soccer players Providence Friars men's soccer players Sportspeople from Norfolk County, Massachusetts