Mark Lydford '21 Recruiting Profile

Hello my name is Mark Lydford. I have been playing soccer since before I was adopted from Liberia, West Africa by my American family at the age of three.  I initially lived in rural Upstate New York and now live in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

I just completed my second year of playing college soccer at Ottawa University of Arizona.  I have played in 36 college games (over 1000 minutes played in college), including 5 starts, and 6 college tournament games, including a game at the 2021 NAIA National Tournament Final Site (where I scored a goal).  Our team finished 2021 ranked #10 nationally for NAIA schools.

I am a Sports Management major with a 3.595 GPA and I have been named to the Dean's List.

I am passionate about soccer and my goal is to continue playing at the highest level. I am looking forward to transferring to a Division I or II NCAA program where I can continue to grow academically and athletically, and experience new and greater challenges.  I have two years of eligibility remaining.

As background, I played club soccer from 7 years old to 18 years old.  I played club soccer for the Phoenix Premier FC Black 03 team when I was in high school.  My club coach is Bobby Smith, who played for Leeds and Sheffield in England when he was younger - he is an assistant coach for Scottsdale Community College.  I was named to the Arizona 03 Boys ODP Player Pool for 2019-2020 and trained with the Arizona ODP in December 2019.

I am also a certified referee for the Arizona Soccer Association and have worked as an AR in over 75 games Arizona State League games since September 2018. I re-certified as a referee through the end of 2022. I watch as much soccer as I can, analyze my game footage, and practice my skills in my free time.  My family and I often go to the field and enjoy just kicking a soccer ball around.