2022 Hall of Fame Inductee: Eduardo Figueroa

Intercollegiate soccer has existed at SUNY Potsdam since 1958 and the program has featured many talented players. However, very few could score like Eduardo Figueroa and no one scored as much. 

Figueroa grew up in Rochester playing sports with his two brothers and three sisters. He also frequently competed at the local recreation center, playing many difference sports including floor hockey and basketball. It was his siblings that steered him in the direction that played a major role in his future. 

“They started off in soccer as well and that’s kind of how I got the influence and got introduced to soccer,” said Figueroa. “Just being around my older siblings who got into it before me.”

Fairly quickly, Figueroa started to realize he excelled on the turf. 

“I was about 9 or 10,” said Figueroa. “I was playing for my Flower City indoor team. My coach started talking to me about eventually playing on a higher level club team and was going to have some people come and watch the game. They were going to determine if I could bump up to the next level. That’s kind of where it happened. I joined the higher level club. “

He continued to play for at a high level for clubs from age 10 until 19. He was on the soccer pitch all year round. With club teams in the summer and winter and his high school squad in the fall. While he was with Empire United, he drew the attention of college coaches. 

“We would go to some tournaments and obviously talk to some college coaches,” said Figueroa. “I was mainly focused on staying around home at first. So I was really considering going to Hobart or Brockport or even Siena. Then I met with Coach Parker.”

Bears head coach Adam Parker, who is now in his 13th season at Potsdam, was building his first recruiting class. Figueroa liked what he heard from his future mentor.

“Parker came to my high school and we talked,” Figueroa said. “He explained that Potsdam was an up and coming program and that he was a brand new coach. We were part of his first recruiting class. That kind of hit home for me, just being a part of something new and kind of building a new program.”

It was Parker’s discussions with Figueroa and some of the other recruits that finally persuaded him to attend Potsdam. Even so, he took his time before finally committing. 

“Parker was very clear on what he wanted to do, said Figueroa. “He stressed the education part as well. So for me that was kind of the first time I had experienced that where someone actually wanted to see me do well and succeed. I also knew a couple of guys that had already committed. They had all played on Empire Syracuse, so we had talked a little bit before. That helped as well. I was a late decision. I didn’t decide until August of 2011, which was just a few weeks before school and preseason started. It was a very late decision.”

A few weeks later, Figueroa arrived for preseason, never having seen the campus before. While it was clear from the start that he could make a big impact, he quickly learned the value of his veteran teammates. 

“It was kind of like a shock for us (freshmen) when we got there,” Figueroa said. “We thought we were going to waltz right into it and be the main guys, but that wasn’t really how it worked out. Then we realized we needed a good mix to be successful and not just focus on the new guys. We needed the older guys and their experience.”

Figueroa adjusted to the North Country and his new school quickly. 

“The guys were great and made me feel comfortable, especially coach, meeting with him on the first day. I felt comfortable right away.”

The Bears entered the 2011 season coming off a two-win campaign from the year before. The veterans and the upstarts were determined to turn the program around. The Lasell University Kick-Off Classic set the tone for a successful year. In the first round against Baruch on September 3,the first game of the season, the Bears rallied twice, thanks in part to a hat trick from fellow freshman phenom Stephen Auyer. The contest was knotted at 3-3 with 11 minutes to play and that’s where Figueroa’s legend began. 

“I had actually just subbed back on and I remember Parker telling me to go get a goal for us,” Figueroa said. “That’s a full circle moment for us right there. It was pretty cool.”

Vic Colassaco set up Figueroa and he buried the game-winner and his first collegiate marker. The following afternoon, the Bears rallied for a 1-1 draw with the host Lasers before defeating them in penalty kicks to capture the title. Over the next few weeks, Figueroa and the team rode a wave of up and downs. He scored two goals in a loss to Elmira and assisted on the game-winner at Canton. After a stretch of three losses and a critical scoreless tie with Plattsburgh, Figueroa and the Bears started to roll. The team shut out both Oswego and Cortland on September 30 and October 1 and Figueroa registered both game-winning goals. After a loss to a dominant Oneonta team, Potsdam rebounded to defeat New Paltz 3-2 the next day with Figueroa assisting on the decisive marker with just 52 seconds left. The next weekend, he played a part in each of Potsdam’s goals in a 3-0 victory over Buffalo State with a goal and two assists. A 1-1 tie with Geneseo on the final day of the conference season gave the Bears just their second SUNYAC playoff berth ever. Despite bowing to Plattsburgh in the quarterfinals, Figueroa and his teammates had a lot to celebrate. He earned his first of four straight all-conference nods with a spot on the second team. 

“It was definitely a special moment to get the program back into the playoffs after such a long time,” said Figueroa. “That was something we were proud of. But that was our new mentality, that making the playoffs was the minimum expectation. I definitely took a second to appreciate it (All-SUNYAC), especially where I was coming from. I believe I was the only person on my high school team that played in college so it was definitely a ‘wow’ moment. But I was more proud of us making the playoffs than actually achieving that.”

Heading into 2012, Figueroa and his teammates were hungry for more, but things don’t always go according to plan. 

“I believe that summer going into season was my best summer of preparation,” Figueroa said. “But unfortunately when we got closer to preseason we had a bunch of injuries. So we were missing some key guys for that season. Stephen Auyer didn’t play that season.”

After a 2-1 start to the year, Potsdam finished just 4-9-4 and was unable to reach the postseason. As tough as the year was for the Bears, Figueroa was better than ever. His season highlights included scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win over Buffalo State and both goals in a 2-2 tie with Brockport. Figueroa finished the year with a program single-season record 26 points on another school mark of 12 goals along with two assists. 

“It was definitely a bummer to miss the playoffs, but on the other hand I appreciated finally getting first team All-SUNYAC and it was my only first team recognition,” said Figueroa. “So that was definitely a great feeling.”

On and off the field, Figueroa was enjoying his complete Potsdam experience. 

“We (teammates) all roomed together from sophomore year on, so we obviously enjoyed being together with the guys on and off campus,” Figueroa said. “Hanging out at the Union Dining Hall and Lehman Dining Hall were always good times, and Becky’s Place. Those were things we’d always love to do together. Going to other Potsdam sporting events, basketball games, hockey games, were always a great time. All campus events were a lot of fun. I definitely have to shout out being in the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program) as well and the support that they gave me throughout my time at Potsdam. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it without the program. As a student, it’s a very good place to be. Professors really care. They really enjoy what they do from my experience. Potsdam is a very close-knit community. It’s very easy to make friends.”

Friendships are one of the things Figueroa values most from his time at Potsdam.

“I’m still lifelong friends with everyone I lived with since sophomore year,” said Figueroa. “Conor (Engle) obviously, Travis Jordan, Cliff Bondi, Stephen Auyer. Even guys that only played one or two years that I’m pretty close to . . . Kyle Manke and Dylan Kruger. We communicate very often. I was actually down in Auburn with Conor for his birthday a few weeks ago.”

As Parker’s team came together for the 2013 season, Potsdam was as talented as ever and healthy. 

“That season I felt that was the best all-around team that we had,” Figueroa said. “We still had a mixture of older guys and we had the next class come in. We had Ben Firlit, Kyle Cronin, Tom Benedetto and all those guys. They were phenomenal players that came in to help us. It was more about getting all of us on the same page. You did have your different classes, but when we were playing it was all about becoming one. Everyone definitely got along on the team which was good. That helped us in close games to get over the hump.”

The Bears raced out to 5-2 start to the season including a 2-1 victory over RPI in which Figueroa scored the game-winner. Against Oswego State, he netted the equalizer in a 1-1 tie. The points were the 57th and 58th of his career, surpassing Jack Groff’s previous program scoring record of 57. Potsdam picked up a 1-0 victory over Geneseo in the penultimate game of the regular season and it proved to be the playoff clincher. It was Potsdam’s and Figueroa’s second trip to the postseason in three years. Unfortunately, Brockport ended the Bears’ run with a quarterfinal victory. Still, the team had matched the program single-season record of nine wins and Figueroa’s team-leading 16 points on six goals and four assists earned him second team All-SUNYAC honors. 

The team had three main goals for the 2014 season. First, to return to the playoffs. Next, to earn a home playoff game and lastly, to win the program’s first postseason game. Figueroa also had a final personal record in his sights, Groff’s program goals mark of 27. The Bears began the season with a 5-1-1 record, the second best start in program history. On September 27, they defeated Plattsburgh for the first time in 14 years. Nearly two weeks later, they nearly upset Oneonta before falling in overtime. The next day, Figueroa had a goal in a 5-0 blowout of New Paltz. The most memorable win of the season and of Figueroa’s career came on October 18 at Fredonia. Potsdam trailed the Blue Devils 2-0 at the half with its playoff hopes hanging in the balance. Auyer and Bondi quickly erased the deficit midway through the second half. After another Fredonia goal, Auyer struck again with less than three minutes remaining to force overtime. Just 3:33 into the extra session, Auyer set up his friend for the game-winner. Figueroa’s goal was the 27th of his career, tying Groff. In the next contest, Figueroa scored in the 13th minute to erase a 1-0 Brockport lead and set Potsdam’s goals record with No. 28. The Bears went on to tie the Golden Eagles 2-2 before defeating Geneseo the next day 1-0 to clinch the fourth seed in the playoffs and the program’s first home playoff game ever. However, the Knights claimed the quarterfinal rematch a week later to end Potsdam’s season and Figueroa’s collegiate career. 

When the dust settled, Figueroa had claimed his fourth all-conference honor, a spot on the third team. In 72 career games over four seasons, the forward had 68 points on 28 goals and 12 assists. He left the program as the record holder in points, goals, single-season points and single-season goals. Figueroa also helped Potsdam to three of its five postseason appearances in the program’s 64-year history. 

Some of Potsdam’s Hall of Famers leave their sports behind when they leave campus. Figueroa is not one of them. In his post-Bears life he served as the Youth Sports Instructor for the YMCA. He’s also coached the boys varsity soccer program at the School for the Arts in Rochester since 2016. He’s been coaching the River Flow U14 team for several seasons and has continued to compete himself in a few men’s indoor and outdoor leagues.

Figueroa received a final honor in January 2021 when he was selected to the SUNYAC’s All-Decade team.

Currently, Figueroa is working for Wright Beverage Distribution in Rochester, with an eye towards a sales position. He’s also acquiring his coaching badges with the intention of coaching at higher club or amateur level. The Bears great is enjoying his life with surrounded by his family, including his girlfriend Caitlyn, his mother Anna and father Armando.

After leaving his mark on Potsdam Athletics forever, Figueroa will be inducted into the Bears Hall Fame on Saturday night.