By: Michael Kurtz | Published: March 2nd, 2026
Kean Men’s Soccer star Harrison Shaller sat down for an interview to discuss his career in soccer, his journey to Kean, and the obstacles he has faced. Shaller has played soccer since age 4 and has helped him build a connection with the sport.
“I’m so grateful that my mom signed me up for soccer when I was 4,” Shaller said, “it ended up giving me everything and teaching me everything I know. I love it.”
“Growing up, it was balancing being on as many teams as possible. There were no restrictions on playing on multiple teams, so I played for as many teams as possible. When I got older, I played basketball, swam, and tried lacrosse, but I didn’t like it. My mom put me in everything, but by the time I was in middle school, soccer was the one sport I wanted to focus on and be the best I could,” Shaller said.
He stated that the transition from youth sports to competitive sports is where, at a young age, athletes just have fun and get a feel for the game, but it gets more serious and competitive down the line.
“I think at a younger age is where you have fun and find a love for the game, and around that middle school period is where it becomes competitive. The competitive drive started when I was young; I wanted to win. It became competitive in the fact that I wanted to take things to another level. My focus was let’s go as far as we can go,” Shaller said.
“I think my coaches and teammates made taking it to another level smooth from just having fun with my friends to training, and at a certain intensity and pushing myself to a certain standard. I give that to my coaches and teammates who helped me get here.” Shaller added.
Middle school was the turning point at which Shaller took soccer to another level.
“In middle school I was with coach Haas [Zerban], and he gave me a different approach to the game, and he introduced intensity, discipline and consistency into my life. I owe everything to the game of soccer, and that’s a part of it.”
“In high school, I only played one year; I was with my club teams. Being a part of my senior year was amazing. I only got to play for about a month due to injuries, which is tough, but it taught me everything I know. Perseverance and resilience. And now at this level, I’ve been at three schools, which is a lot. But I’m grateful for all my experiences.” Shaller added.
Shaller also highlighted his experiences both at Penn State Harrisburg and Rowan before arriving at Kean. “I started at Penn State in 2022. We won the Conference Championship, went to the NCAA Tournament, worked with many players, and had a young coach. He had a lot of belief in me and appreciated everything he taught me, but I felt like I needed a switch and wanted to test myself at Rowan. I’m glad I did go there, even though it didn’t work out the way I wanted.”
“I have faith in myself and God, and I feel like Rowan was a transformative two years when I was there. I learned a lot about myself as far as ‘how do I react when things don’t go my way? When things are unfair?’ And now I’m at Kean, my third school, and I’m grateful to be here, have the opportunity to represent, and help my teammates achieve something special.” Shaller clarified.
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