Holden Brown Holding Strong In Goal For Virginia Men’s Soccer

Virginia Cavaliers Holden Brown
Virginia goalkeeper Holden Brown has played every minute in goal this season. ~ Photo courtesy Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Media Relations

A season ago, the Virginia men’s soccer team had to find a new goalkeeper to replace 2019 All-American Colin Shutler. Playing for the first time in the UVA kit, Holden Brown stepped in and finished 2021 leading the ACC with 86 saves (No. 4 in the country) and with 4.78 saves per game. Now a junior, Brown has played a crucial role for the Hoos, as they see themselves fighting for the Coastal crown.

Growing up in Zionsville, Indiana, Brown has three siblings: a twin sister and older twin brothers. Sports were big in the household, as one of his brothers, Brock, swims for the Indiana Hoosiers.

“My mom let me and my brothers play any sport we asked to play,” Brown said. “I think we just kind of asked all the generic ones. The only one we didn’t actually ask was football for whatever reason. The two I was the most passionate about were baseball and soccer. My best friend growing up had a huge soccer family. Down the road, I decided to play soccer partly because of him, honestly.”

Brown was part of the Zionsville Youth Academy before moving up to the Indiana Fire Development Academy in 2018, starting e of 12 games. A year later, he joined the Indy Eleven, a United Soccer League team. While at Zionsville Community High School, he was named First-Team All-State as a sophomore and was a member of the 2019 Indiana 3A State Championship team. With his overall success, Brown was rated a four-star recruit and ranked No. 87 in the class, according to Top Drawer Soccer’s Top 150 Club Player Rankings.

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