After helping Kean University defeat Bridgewater State by a close score of 15-14 on Saturday, September 10, 2016, junior Aryeh Moslavi was chosen as the NJAC Special Teams Player of the Week on September 12, 2016.
Moslavi scored a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to jump ahead of Bridgewater State to secure the win.
A transfer student athlete from Becker College in Massachusetts, this is Moslavi's second full year at Kean University and second season with the Cougars football program. The Fair Lawn native played in all ten football games for Becker in his one semester there in the fall of 2014, but decided to transfer because he did not like the school.
Moslavi's decision to transfer to Kean University is very interesting and ironic to say the least. Before attending Becker, he was a lacrosse recruit for Kean University, not football.
"The coaches that I have as football coaches [now], they declined me," Moslavi said. "They didn't want me playing football here at all, actually, it was kind of interesting and I was recruited for lacrosse."
When playing football here was not an option, he continued his football career at Becker, where he would soon realize where his real home was. His final decision to make the move was based off of Kean University's good tuition and financial aid, the proximity to home and the opportunity to continue his athletic career.
Moslavi speaks very highly of the Men's Lacrosse coach Shelley Sheiner.
"He's the guy who got me into Kean," Moslavi said. "He really pushed for me to get to where I was at the time and he helped me contact Coach Garrett of the football team."
The spring of 2015 was hectic for Moslavi as he played on the lacrosse team, tried out and made the football team for spring ball and balanced classes at a new school.
"It felt like preseason because I was up at 5 in the morning for football and then I would have to go to lacrosse practice in the afternoon and have my classes all mixed up within there," Moslavi shared.
The Kean football team has been on campus since Saturday, August 13, 2016, which was the start of preseason. Moslavi speaks highly of the team's chemistry. He feels it is amazing compared to the previous teams he's played on, which have unfortunately been losing teams. He can see how chemistry can truly make a difference.
"Everybody's together, we're always a family, we don't have cliques in the locker room, we're all one and that's what the best thing about it is because that's what helps us win games," Moslavi said.
The team's consistent goal every season is to be NJAC and NCAA champions. To help his team achieve these goals, Moslavi strives to be the best version of himself for the program.
Moslavi's football career began after he lost interest in soccer and took up the sport during his freshman year of high school.
"I went to football because I thought it was more exciting, it was more of an exciting game, more people showed up for games," Moslavi reflected.
In high school he played wide receiver and corner. Although he loved playing those positions, kicking stuck with him as he was really good at it and was able to continue to increase his skill level. He credits his high school lacrosse and football coaches for making him into the player he is today.
"Both of them had a huge influence on me and really pushed me, like really pushed me to my limits and really mentally helped me out," Moslavi added.
Moslavi is in the process of changing his major from psychology to marketing or business management. He plans to finish his athletic and academic journey right here and add to his already awesome experience.
"[I] Really feel at home, this is the place--this is definitely the place I wanted to be at..., but couldn't be at first for certain reasons," Moslavi said. "But this school's awesome and definitely would like to finish here."
