Hand’s Scott Testori celebrates in the final seconds of the Tigers’ 3-1 victory over Guilford in the SCC Championship in Madison last week.
Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media
Scott Testori never publicly revealed the colleges he wanted to play soccer for next fall. But he always had a No. 1 choice in mind.
On Thursday night, the Hand senior forward verbally committed to that No. 1 choice: the University of Connecticut.
“I was waiting until after the season. UConn was my number one school the whole time,” Testori said. “I believe UConn is the right school for me. It is one of the best soccer schools in the country. I’m really excited.”
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Like almost everything else done these days, Testori’s verbal commitment was done via zoom call, one that included longtime UConn head coach Ray Reid. Testori said he will sign his national letter of intent in February.
Until an NLI is signed, coaches cannot comment on recruits per NCAA regulations.
Other schools Testori, an All-American last season, was interested in included Villanova and NESCAC members Bates and Wesleyan.
“They have had Scott on their radar for awhile now,” Hand coach Greg Cumpstone said. “It’s always been a question of Scott evaluating all of his offers and it was always apparent UConn was his top choice.”
A LOOK AT THE STATE’S TOP POSTSEASON PERFORMANCES
Testori, 18, has not been able to make an official visit yet, but knows plenty about the Storrs campus and the soccer program. Older sisters Gina and Julia attended UConn. Testori has done a virtual tour of the new soccer stadium — the 4,000 seat Joseph. J. Morrone Stadium at the Rizza Family Soccer Complex, named after the former Hall of Fame coach. And Testori is thrilled UConn is back in the Big East Conference.
“It’s one of the most competitive conferences, a big step up,” Testori said, noting Georgetown won the national championship in 2019. “The stadium looks beautiful, one of the best in college soccer. That made me more excited to commit to UConn. … When I was telling (Reid) about some of the other schools (he was interested in), he (Reid) told me he would develop me more than the other schools and make me the best player I could possibly be.”
TESTORI IS THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Testori, the two-time Area MVP for the Register, finished this season with 28 goals and eight assists in 11 games. Hand went undefeated and won the SCC B Division championship. He concluded his career with a program-best 86 goals and 32 assists.
“Scott shows with his work rate and his ability that UCconn is the best choice for him,” Cumpstone said. “As much as they want to pull top international talent from across the nation, they also want to pull the top talent from the state and to me, Scott is the best player in the state.”
