ESPN Highlights Acrobatic Goal by Bona's Andres Javitt

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — Andres Javitt’s acrobatic goal gave St. Bonaventure University’s men’s soccer team a victory Tuesday and received national recognition as the top spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays .

Javitt scored the goal at St. Bonaventure’s Marra Athletics Field Complex, more than 3,000 miles away from where his soccer journey began in Lara, Venezuela.

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“My dad was an ex-professional soccer player [for Lara F.C .] in Venezuela and was one of the best under-20 players then,” Javitt said. “So I just picked it [his desire to play soccer] up from there by following his steps. He played the same position as I do now: an offensive midfielder.”

When he left home as a 16-year-old, Javitt found himself traveling the world. He began in Portugal, where he played for a few soccer academies before eventually arriving in the United States.

Thanks to a mutual friend from the Montgomery College men’s soccer team, Javitt met with the team’s head coach, Pedro Braz, who offered him a scholarship in 2021.

In his two seasons under Braz, Javitt became a key player, registering 48 goals and 28 assists. But Braz did more to grow the Venezuelan’s career as he brought in mutual scouts and coaches to watch Javitt play—one of those coaches being St. Bonaventure men’s soccer head coach Kwame Oduro, who recruited him in 2023.

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In his first season with the Bonnies, Javitt scored five goals and provided two assists in 17 games . This season he already has three goals and three assists with eight games left to play.

“I felt like last season I was good but not consistent,” Javitt said. “This season before coming here, the main thing I said to myself was consistency. Just play very well and regularly each game, and then the goals and assists will come. Don’t think about it, and just be consistent.”

To be a consistent player, Javitt knew he had to work hard to sharpen his craft and soccer IQ.

“I give credit to the three coaches, Kwame, Alex [Suprise] , and Connor [Golley] ,” he said. “They have given me tips for on and off training. I go a lot to the coach’s office to watch film. We watch every play and touch during a game and then analyze to learn what I should have done better. With Pedro Braz and Kwame, I have watched over 500 hours of film over these last two years, even when I am by myself.

“And I do individual training off the pitch, including when I go back home to Venezuela where I worked on my half turn [over the summer] every day and a hundred times,” he continued. “When one looks at me [perform] on the field, it seems easy, but it comes from repetition, repetition, and repetition. I worked on things exactly for what my position asks for during the summer, and it’s paying off.”

Javitt’s consistency and hard work this season have paid off, creating excitement in the U.S. and in Venezuela, where his family and friends saw an Instagram post of the goal.

“It was crazy back home,” he said. “In Venezuela, there isn’t SportsCenter, so many people told me, “Hey, I saw you on the TV today. What was that goal? You were in front of [Kylian] Mbappé in SportsCenter. So people were just going crazy back home.”

And while the reception and fame have been incredible, Javitt still believes there are more moments to create.

“For me, and I even told the coach, I enjoyed the moment, but I need to forget it quickly,” he said. “These are the moments that get you hyped. My confidence is high, but then you have to control your ego too because we still have a long season to go and all the A-10 games. It was a good goal and experience, but now we have a game on Saturday. It’s time to create more good moments.”

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