DU men’s soccer junior forward Oje Ofunrein has had quite the start to the 2023-2024 season. Ofunrein has already quadrupled his season goal total from last year; he became one of the top goal scorers in the country; and he was awarded the NCAA Digital’s National Player of the Week on Sept. 14. 

The work he does on the field is nothing short of exceptional, but he doesn’t let his dedication to the game of soccer steer him away from stellar academic performance. 

“It takes a lot of practice and trying different routines,” he said. “Once you find that routine that works for you, establishing that routine and sticking to it is what is going to keep pushing you athletically and academically.”

His journey started when he was in the 10th grade and began hearing about the far-off future of his academic and athletic career. As a passionate club and high school player, Ofunrein was looking for an opportunity to continue to push himself in both regards. After a multitude of showcases and mentorship programs, he knew he found his home when he walked onto the Denver turf. 

“Everyone was interacting with me, talking to me about what it would be like if I was here playing soccer and studying,” Ofunrein recounted, “and after coming home from my recruiting trip there were no questions about it.”

When he started at the University of Denver, Ofunrein said he was pushed to become a better version of himself in all regards. He discovered that his teammates, whom he affectionately deemed brothers, shared similar values to him, pushing him to continue developing athletically, but also to find those values that mean the most to him. 

“Being intrinsically motivated pushed me to understand that I was capable of doing more,” he said.  “Discipline and accountability are the two main values on the team, keeping yourself in check and then holding yourself to the standards you set, whether that’s on the field or in the classroom.”

When talking about winning the Summit League Championship in 2022, Ofunrein said that  it’s a culmination of the “culture that was built over the past decade with the guys that have come before.” 

“The development environment in the team has been a big help: training, working hard, accountability, building habits,” Ofunrein said. 

He also spoke about the intrinsic motivation that is involved in becoming a collegiate athlete. As someone who enjoyed his club experience, he noted that there was a difficult mentality switch that involved learning to continue to work and depend on the rest of your team. 

“The collective effort that it takes to push the rankings and maintain DU’s standing is something you don’t necessarily see in club [soccer],” he said.

Ofunrein speaks highly of the development environment inside of the team, where the emphasis is not just on working hard and training, but also on building good habits and accountability to ensure success across the board. Ofunrein knew he was capable of becoming a collegiate athlete and a top goal scorer for the Crimson and Gold, but that desire had to come from within. 

“The desire has to come from your motivation to want to learn from the players and coaches, to want to grow as an athlete and as a person,” he said. 

The best is yet to come from Ofunrein. As he looks towards his options moving forward, be it continuing his degree in health and physiology to become a practicing P.A. or doctor, or going on to play professional soccer after graduation, he will take the motivation and mentality learned within the program to his next stage of life.