PEORIA, Ill. – Get to know more about Bradley Soccer Kevin Mejias.

Mejias, originally from Cuba, was Bradley's top scorer during the 2023 season despite only playing seven games. He scored three goals and gave one assist before suffering a season-ending injury.

Mejias passion for soccer started at a very young age.

"In Cuba, we used to play on the streets. We used to draw the goals on the streets or put bricks," Mejias said "I was like six, seven years old when I started playing on the streets because they did not allow me before,"

Mejias moved to Italy when he was eight years old. He lived in Europe for over ten years. He is trilingual as he speaks Spanish, Italian, and English.

Upon arrival, he played for a town club, AFC Fermo. He played for them for many years. Then he moved to the academy of Fermana FC, a third-division club. Later, Mejias played for Montegiorgio Calcio, a fourth-division team in which he experienced significant growth.

"I moved to a fourth division team, which is full of young players and adults who do that for a living," Mejias said. "So that was a beautiful experience because it is really tough, you have to train well every day, you have to respect everybody because there are people that actually work there, and that is their main source of income, so you have to do well, you have to perform, and that was a growing experience for me,"

Mejias started university in Italy but later realized the United States was a great opportunity to get his education while doing what he loves. He played for two other schools before becoming a Brave.

"I came here [United States] in 2021, and this is my third school. I was in Texas before, and then I moved to a junior college in Iowa, from which the coaches saw me and decided to recruit me," Mejias said.

Mejias struggled to adapt to the culture, especially with nutrition and eating habits. In Europe, people eat at different times compared to the United States. 

It did not take Mejias long to make new friends and memories at Bradley. His favorite memory as a Brave happened at the start of his experience.

"One of the best moments was at the beginning, for sure, when everyone came here," Mejias said. "We had to do a physical test to be able to play, and some of the guys were struggling, and we decided to all come back and stay together to help everybody get through the test, and that was a beautiful moment, and I realized that I was with beautiful people on the team,"

Attending Bradley is Mejias' first experience at such a large school. He shared his favorite thing about the university.

"I have to say the people, but I also say the facilities that Bradley has are really good. The gym, Renco [Renaissance Coliseum], BECC [Business and Engineering Convergence Center], the library, so I think the facilities are one of the best things about Bradley, other than people," Mejias said.

Mejias shared his team goals for next season and his personal goals for the future.

"The goal is to be able to win the league and get to the NCAA tournament, so that is a goal that the team has for the next few years and keep growing as players," Mejias said. "My goal is actually to keep playing soccer after I graduate and get a degree, and be able to also perform in my job,"

Watch Mejias at Shea Stadium during the 2024 spring season home games.